X-PON
by Noxfero
Summary: Humans are not the only race that has to deal with alien invaders. Join X-PON's trups and defend not only Equestria, but the whole planet by the extraterrestrial menace. Rated T for violence, swearing and death. Oc submission open.
1. We are not alone

The colorful and cheerful lanterns scattered all around Ponyville gave a bright yellow glow to the warm night air, as laughing and talking ponies walked around the streets, enjoying the evening of the longest summer's day; the day of the Summer Sun celebration. After a day of wild partying and celebrating (to Pinkie Pie's glee), all the inhabitants of Ponyville were now slowing down, preferring to enjoy in calmer way the final part of the day.

Some of them were just fine with talking and walking in the square in front of the town hall, where a long set of stands had been placed, ranging from the Sugarcube Corner's cart where Mr. And Mrs. Cake were both keeping an eye on their foals and selling treats to their clients at the same time, to the simpler stand of the Apple Family, where Granny Smith and Big Macintosh where occupied selling apples to anyone who was searching for a less dental-damaging dinner.

Other ponies, preferring to pass a quieter evening, had moved towards the edge of the town, resting on the benches of the darker streets, talking and relaxing. Some had even gone to the edge of the town, into the fields surrounding it, looking at the clear and beautifull sky that Princess Luna had created to celebrate the day that had just passed.

That was the case for six mares and a baby dragon, sitting on a cloth on the top of a little grassy hill, while around them other ponies were enjoying the breeze.

"Here ya go, cider for everypony!" bellowed an orange earth pony mare, giving filled cups of liquid to her friends. "Ah kept a barrel just for us. Ya know, being the anniversary of us becoming friends and all."

"Heh. You had a good idea!" called a cyan pegasus, grasping her mug of cider and licking her lips.

"Well girls… to us!" cheered a pink earth pony, raising her cup, imitated by the otehr mares and the little dragon.

"To us!" they all called, before gulping down the cider, laughing and cheering happily. A little down the hill, Lyra raised her eyes towards the other mares, glaring slightly. She then returned her gaze to the cream coated mare beside her.

"What are you thinking, Bonny?" she asked, laying again on the ground beside BonBon and looking at the sky, where a multitude of stars were shining brightly, giving the sky the appearance of a shining blanket.

"Mh… do you ever think that we may be alone in the whole universe?" the earth pony asked, looking at the sky. The mint unicorn said nothing, looking at the sky.

"Maybe… that's quite a terrifying thought, if you think about that." she finally declared. Boy, her Bonny sure was able to think of the weirdest things. She shuffled a little on the grass, feeling the little box she was hiding behind her back.

"Bonny, listen…" started the unicorn, sitting, as her horn began to light up, the little box beginning to fly beside her.

"Look Lyra, a shooting star!" suddenly called BonBon, sitting as well and pointing a hoof towards the sky, accompanied by the exclamations of surprise and wonder from all the other ponies on the hill, as soon as they all saw the star. "Quick, make a wish!" exclaimed the earth pony, closing her eyes. Lyra blushed a little.

"Let her say yes." She pleaded to the star, which disappeared after a few seconds from her sight. "Listen Bonny, I…"

"Uh… Twilight? Isn't the meteor shower supposed to be only once every hundred years?" arrived the voice of Spike from the top of the hill.

"Indeed…" murmured the purple unicorn, watching as other shooting stars appeared in the sky. The ponies watched in awe at the show, even if the purple mare frowned as a couple of flying things darted far above her head.

"Well that's quite the amazing and unexpected show." Stated a candid unicorn mare, looking at the sky, amazed. "I suppose Princess Luna really did want to pay a tribute to her sister."

"That's such a nice thought…" murmured a yellow pegasus, holding her cup, before suddenly dropping it to cover her head and screaming as one of the shooting stars darted a few meters above them, leaving a stream of fire and smoke behind it, before landing with a crash inside town. Immediately all the ponies relaxing on the grass were on their hooves, running towards town, the little box abandoned on the ground.

-oOo-

"Is anypony hurt?" asked Twilight, trotting through the crowd of ponies that were around the place where the thing had hit the ground. It had hit a house during its fall, leaving a charred scar in it, plus a crumbled wall.

"No pony is wounded!" called the voice of the mayor through the crowd.

"What is that thing?" asked another voice. Twilight moved her eyes towards the object. She blinked, surprised. That wasn't a meteor, nor a compound of rock and ice. It was some strange…metallic thing.

"What in tarnation is that, Twilight?" asked the orange mare, scratching her hat. Twilight didn't answer, taking a little step towards the thing. It was of some sort of grayish metal thing in the shape of an egg, balanced by three sorts of legs like oblong drops. A few engravings in the object were emitting a faint green light.

"I've never seen anything like this ever before…" the unicorn admitted, after a few seconds. The other ponies looked at each other worriedly. Twilight took another step, reaching a hoof towards the thing…

Suddenly, four plates slid up, revealing a series of little pipes, which immediately start to emit a bright green fog with a hissing sound. Twilight immediately stepped back as the green substance started to spread quickly.

The ponies drew back, before turning and starting to run away in panic, screaming. One of the strings of gas hit a stallion on the leg, and he fell to the ground, as if his legs couldn't sustain him anymore. A greenish and gooey substance began to cover him where the gas had touched his skin, as the stallion struggled, unable to move.

A gray pegasus with a silverly mane that was trying to fly away was hit as well by the gas, falling to the ground with a loud thud, before the goo started to spread over her body.

"Flitter!" called in fear another pegasus, trying to run to her, but was dragged away by the panicking ponies. While the crowd of ponies was running away, Lyra had the vision of another two of those objects dart through the sky, just to land with a crash somewhere else in town.

She also had a vision of something circular float over the town.

Maybe they weren't alone, after all…

-oOo-

"This happened two days ago. Reports of similar events have been coming in from everywhere in Equestria. And the situation is not limited to Equestria, it appears to be a global issue." Stated Celestia, sliding a couple of papers to the other side of the table.

The Commander looked at them silently, before returning its eyes on the alicorn.

"Global?" it asked, raising an eyebrow. The alicorn nodded.

"In the buffalos' plains there are also traces of this kind of activity, as well as in the zebras' land, the deers' forests and the griffins' nation."

"How are they going to face this?" asked the Commander, examining the papers.

"The griffins have already withdrawn the possibility of cooperating with us. Their land is now off limits, for us as well. Buffalos, deers and zebras, on the other hoof, have agreed to an alliance."

"And how are you going to deal with this, princess?" asked the Commander. Celestia met its glare, without flinching.

"I will put every able unicorn into a global shielding program. It'll be a lot of work, but every single unicorn able to use magic will be deployed to that."

"Even civilians?"

"Even civilians. Except some exceptions I was thinking to deploy to other uses…"

"Fair enough, I think." Shrugged the Commander, sending back the papers.

"Pegasi will be in charge of a defensive system to deal with every unidentified flying object that may pass through the barrier." Continued the princess. "And also taking down the ones still roaming inside our atmosphere at this very instant. Except again for some exceptions…"

"I still don't get what do you want from me, princess." Admitted the Commander, studying the mare again with its inquisitive eyes. She shifted a little on her chair.

"We have kept some of the greatest and most advanced technologies of our time away from other ponies and allies, just to maintain peace, Commander." Started the mare, glaring at it. "But now, there is no longer peace. I, in accordance with my sister and our allies, have decided to create a special force, designed to directly confront this… menace. And I would like to have you guide the field troops, as well as the ponies I'll give you."

"I will have no unicorns or pegasi thought?" it asked, scratching its chin.

"It's not worth it. We'll leave to you whoever will be unable to contribute to the barrier, or to the flying squads. But yes, since it'll be mostly ground troops, I thought you would have appreciate having resistant earth ponies at your command. And of course, don't forget about our allies, they'll send what help they can as well."

"Where will we be operating from?"

"An underground facility. It'll ready in a week or so, while we recruit your ground units. We'll also grant you a team of engineer and scientist, as well as a well trained team of medics. You will be our only line of defence against this situation, if anything passes through both the shield and the pegasi air force."

"… I don't think I have much of a choice…" stated the Commander, after a few seconds of silence. "I'm in."

Oo-oO

Horay, new oc centered fic, inspired, of course, by X-COM enemy unknown. As said, I will preferably accept earth ponies instead of pegasi or unicorns, unless they are heavily incapacitated with magic or flight. On the other hand I will gladly accept whoever would send an acceptable zebra, buffalo or deer. If interested, send a pm, I'll send you the chart.


	2. The start

The flying machine darted over the expanse of trees that made up the forest of Everfree much faster than any pegasus would ever be able to. Well, maybe with a couple of exceptions. The machine was something that nopony would ever have imagined could exist just a week before, but now it was a reality. It resembled a little whale in shape, with a couple of wings on its sides, both hosting a propeller, with another on its back.

The inside of the machine was rather empty, evidently built for the sole purpose of transportation of cargo and ponies. And indeed, in four seats near the pilot's cabin, were seated four ponies, three stallions and a mare.

They were silently staring at each other, locked in a sort of awkward silence. The three stallions were all earth ponies, all muscular and well built, all closed in an ochre body armor that protected their bodies. The mare, on the other hand, stood out from the group: she was evidently a pegasus, since her body was much more slim and agile. She was had a coat of gray color, with a simple cut black mane, where some streaks of purple were evident. Between her armor's openings, it was possible to see her cutie mark, a purple swirl of wind with black raindrops, and where there were supposed to be her wings there were only a couple of stumps, which twitched wtih every heartbeat of the mare.

"Excuse me… how did that happen?" finally asked the stallion in front of her, who had just passed the last hour staring at them. He was a big stallion with a brown coat and a jet black mane and tail, and in the opening in his armor, a shield with two crossed rifles behind it was present on his flank.. His inquisitive golden eyes moved from the the mare's stumps to her golden eyes.

The mare studied him for a couple of seconds, as the pony beside the one who had spoken, a stallion with a tan coat and a long gray mane pulled back into a pony-tail, let out a low "great way to make friends dude", rolling his brown eyes.

"Manehattan." She finally answered. "I and Solid Steel…" she continued, pointing at the pony beside her, a silver coated bulky stallion with a bronze mane and a couple of scary orange eyes. "…were having] a vacation with our comrades, when there was the… shower." She stated, referring to the first attack from outer space. "I lost them under a fallen pole."

"At least you are alive." Grunted the stallion with the tan coat. "I've seen ponies in Hoofington quite less lucky." The mare nodded.

"Yeah, we have seen less fortunate ponies too." Stated Solid Steel. "That's why we are here, right?"

"Indeed." Agreed the first pony. There were a couple of seconds of silence, before he spoke again: "I'm Wolfee."

"Name's Violet Storm." Stated the mare, smiling slightly. "And as I said, Solid Steal." She added, pointing at her companion, who waved a hoof.

"Nice to meet you two." Said Wolfee, smiling and trying to assume a relaxed posture. "It's good to see somepony on the first line with me. When I was the only one chosen in the Hoofington legion, I was kinda worried."

"They took only the best. And not even the best might be enough. This is something we have never seen before. I heard that they were taking other soldiers from everywhere in the world." Grunted the last pony. "I'm Silent Rhapsody, by the way. Raphs for short."

"Oh, come on, ponies are not everywhere in the world." Chuckled Wolfee. Silent Rhapsody stared at him for a moment, without replying.

"Have you finished your chit-chatting in there?" called the voice of the pilot from the intercom system. "We are about to land, so buckle up." He ordered. After a couple of seconds, the machine hosting them trembled, as they felt a twinge in their bellies, letting them know they were hitting the ground.

"Oki doki, we are here, safe and sound. And without any delay, judging by the others vehicles…" muttered the pilot's voice. With a whistle, the back of the machine opened, permitting the four ponies to leave. They immediately got out of the way, as a group of simple dressed earth ponies passed beside them, entering the vehicle and starting to unload the cargo.

Violet Storm's eyes wandered around: they were inside an immense hangar-like cavern: lined along the walls there were a series of caves, where smaller versions of the vehicle that had brought them there were resting, while in the lower area, another two big vehicles were opening their backsides. She raised her eyes, noticing the immense valve high above them, embedded into the ceiling.

"We are underground." She stated, impressed. When she noticed the lack of reaction, she lowered her sight on the four ponies surrounding her: they were all staring at two creatures getting out from another big machine.

They were two buffalo. One was a massive and bulky male, the long fur over his body of a dark shade of brown, his gray eyes making an evident constrast. He was wearing in a body armor like they were, but it was evidently too small, since there were a lot of open spots. The other buffalo beside him was a female with a dark orange fur that had red patches, her red hair tied in a couple of buns. She was smaller than her male companion, but still slightly taller than Solid Steel. And he was quite tall. On her, the body armor fit quite better, enchasing her body perfectly. A rifle was evidently dangled from her side.

"Show-off." Muttered Silent Rhapsody, thinking about his brand new rifle, safely stored inside one of the crates that the earth pony attendents were dragging away.

"Buffalo? Whar are buffalo doing here?" whispered Solid Steel, as the slim buffalo female whispered something in her male companion's ear, causing a fit of deep laughter.

"Because when it is a time of global war, there is no space for differences between races." Stated a calm voice behind the group: a zebra was walking slowly towards them, equipped as well in a light body armor, a rifle dangling from his side. A couple of scarlet eyes scanned the ponies from under the zebra's buzzed black mane. "We are all together in this war, and we all have to defend our home." He added, before passing them and walking towards the buffalo.

"Are you four coming?" he called, turning towards the ponies. The looked at each other, before following the zebra, who apparently seemed to know where he was going. Beside them, another flying machine opened with a whistle, and another pair figures dressed in body armor walked into the crowded hangar, looking around with amazament: they were two stags. One of them was a light chestnut color, his antlers snapped in numerous places. The second stag was looking around curiously, despite the yellow-painted glasses he was wearing. They ignored the crowd of ponies around them, as well as the surprised and amazed looks on their faces.

"All the recruits! Here!" called a loud voice that raised over the hangar, covering all the voices of those present. The ponies turned towards its origin, as well as the couple of buffalo and deer: a bulky zebra was standing out in the crowd, wearing a body armor similar to theirs. Immediately the deer, buffalo and zebra moved towards him, imitated by the ponies. Clearly, he was a graduated soldier, judging by the badges on his shoulders.

As soon as the recruits lined up in front of him, the zebra glared at them, eyeing slightly the buffalo female, the only one without a serious expression, who was staring in the void with interest, as if she was following something only she could see.

"Recruits…" he began, before being interrupted by a crashing sound, as a stag emerged from the corridor behind him, slamming against the door frame, his horns making difficult to pass through. The zebra watched patiently as the stag managed to pass through the door, a set of colorful birds flying in behind him with chirps to sit on his horns.

"As I was saying… recruits. Seems that they finally found who was worthy to fight on the first line." Restarted the zebra. "So, you two are Brute and Hiding Eye, correct?" he asked, looking at the buffalo. The big one let out a low groan of assent, while the female squeaked and nodded, smiling. The zebra raised an eyebrow, but passed to the pair of deer. "And you two are Oak and Long Shot, right?" he asked again.

"Sure we are." Nodded the one with the yellow glasses, before tilting his head as well as Oak, saluting the stag with the birds in his horn, who tilded his head as well.

"What are they doing?" whispered Solid Steel, raising an eyebrow. The zebra at their side turned his head a little, whispering back.

"They are just saluting."

"That's not saluting."

"For them yes, pony. Bowing their head is a challenging motion, since they are horned. That's their custom."

"And you!" called the zebra in front of them, addressing the whispering one. "You must be Zealot."

"Yes sir!" immediately answered the zebra, puffing out his chest.

"Very well. Then, let's get you to the barracks. They will be your home 'til all this mess is sorted out." he stated, turning and gesturing for them to follow him.

"Or until we are all dead!" exclaimed happily the stag, as his set of birds chirped happily. The recruits looked at each other, before following them into the metallic corridor.

"Sir, where are we precisely?" asked the grumpy deer with the mutilated horns, Oak, as he looked around at the corridor and the ponies trotting around, every one of them too preoccupied on something to pay them any attention. He actually saw also a great number of zebras, a thin doe in a lab suit and he thought also to have seen a llama trotting away down a side corridor.

"We are beneath the surface of the Everfree forest." Answered the zebra. "In an underground facility built in the last week."

"That's why it's not finished yet." Jumped in the deer. "The Commander is working on that. Not an easy thing, since apparently, on top of being attacked by unknown beings, we also have to keep an eye on the funds from the governments supporting us."

"Anyway, we are set in such a place so we can stay hidden from enemy's eyes." Finished the zebra, ignoring his companion's intermission.

"And all of these creatures here are soldiers?" Asked Wolfee, passing beside a unicorn with a long crack through his horn.

"Of course not." Answered the zebra with a huff, passing through a metallic door that zipped open as soon as they approached it. "You can't defend the world with just muscles. We also have a specialized division for research and development, as well as a specialized unit for the actual construction of devices."

"We have all the best. The best hooves and brains the princesses were able to find all aroudn the globe. Figure, our head researcher was the protegee of the princess herself." Stated the deer.

"Was?" asked Violet Storm. Neither the zebra nor the deer answered.

"We are here." Stated the zebra after a minute, entering into a larger room, that opened on a series of corridors, all of them with long lines of metallic doors. "These are where you are going to sleep, and down the central corridor there is the place where you will eat, socialize, and do whatever you will on your free time."

"If you are still alive!" chirped the deer.

"Thank you Leaf, this positive attitude is exactly what we need right now." Huffed the zebra. "Now, everyone of you get a room. Actually, I think you can go check them, since the Commander is not here…" he muttered. "He was supposed to speak with you, but…" he stopped, as the metallic door behind them opened.

The commander stepped inside, while having a heated discussion with an orange mare with a long blonde mane tied up in a pony-tail, a stetson on her head and a work-suit around her body, protecting her fur from numerous stains of oil.

"I'm sorry, but we can't afford to have any civilians in here." The commander was saying, ignoring for the moment of the recruits and the two promoted soldiers.

"Please, Ah just want to have mah family safe! Mah granny, mah brother and mah little sister!" was pleading the mare. The Commander was staring blankly at her, with a cold, emotionless face.

"Why should I grant your request when many other workers here have left their families at home, without asking anything?" he asked coldly. "Please Applejack, try to understand. We need you to concentrate on the work assigned to you."

"Ah can't with mah family in danger!" snarled the mare, turning and running back into the corridor. The Commander sighed, before turning towards the recruits and walking towards them.

"They hate you sooo badly!" called the deer, receiving a hit in the chest from the zebra. The Commander smirked.

"This is a situation far different for all of them, and don't forget that four of them have been scarred for life. They have lost some of the most precious things they owned. We'll give them time, I'm sure that if the princess gave them to us, they'll be useful. At least, the pegasi are reacting better than some of the others." He then turned, facing the recruits. His face turned again into a blank and emotionless stare.

"Creepy." Thought Solid Steel. He could feel the others in line shuffle a little under the gaze of the Commander. Even the slim female buffalo wasn't looking around, but was motionless under the stare.

"Soldiers!" he suddenly shouted, making Oak and Brute jump a little. "You are here to defend, and to fight, for our world." He stated, taking a few steps forwards. Even the birds on the deer's horns were now quiet. "First thing you need to know: I am the Commander, and I'm running everything under here. Why? Because I have the brains and the guts to make difficult choices. Second thing you need to know: you are now my property. You are my soldiers. And as I do with everything of my property, I'll take care of you." He stated, his voice strong and clear. Violet Storm was able to recognise a veteran when she saw one.

"I'll respect you, as long as you respect me. I'll do whatever is going to be in my power to make sure every one of you stays alive on every mission you'll be through. You must obey me, consistently and without question. I expect this much from all my soldiers." He bit his lips. Now here was the hard part. "But you have also to understand that sometimes, there might come the decision between some of you, or the entire mission. I may ask you to leave a soldier behind, or ignore their wounds, if it's going to be necessary. Is this clear?" he asked.

The recruits in front of him stayed motionless, a hard expression on their faces. They seemed determinated. "Let's see if it lasts…" he thought to himself.

"These two…" he continued, pointing at the zebra and the deer. "Are the Majors Masud and Leaf. You'll respond to them as well that as me. Any questions?"

"What are we exactly going to do?" asked Silent Rhapsody, raising a hoof.

"Whatever will be necessary to protect the civilians and our lands in general." He immediately answered. That was a predictable question.

"What are we fighting?" asked the male buffalo, Brute, in a low, calm voice.

"Not ponies, nor zebra, griffin, or any other creature we know." He answered. Another predictable question. "As soon as we're be able to put our hooves on a dead specimen, the scientific team will immediately work on it. Other questions?"

No one said anything. The Commander nodded and turned, moving towards the corridor leading to another part of the facility, when suddenly he stopped, pressing on one of his ears. Only in that moment the recuits noted the small earpiece.

"Repeat Dash. Ok. Ok, where? Ok, we are on it. I have the recruits just in front of me. Don't worry." He stated, before turning. "Well, it seems I'll see what you are capable of right now. You four!" he stated, pointing at the group of four ponies.

"Return to the hangar. A vehicle will be waiting for you. You'll find ear pieces as well. Move move move!" he ordered. Immediately the four ponies saluted and darted back, running towards the hangar.

"What? Just four of them why can't we all go?" asked Long Shot, waving his horn.

"The vehicle isn't big enough." Answered coldly the Commander.

"Are you kidding? It was huge."

"It's not that vehicle. That was too slow."

"Too slow?! It was damned fast!"

"Then you haven't seen the real fast." countered the Commander. "We have an abduction report in Ponyville. If we can do this right, those six will support me a little better."

"I hope so, Commander." Stated Leaf, before turning towards the buffalo, deer and zebra. "All of you, you are free to do as you please. Relax 'till you can."

The Commander turned and hurried towards the control room. That was going to be his first work in years. He felt the adrenaline pumping. He hoped he was still good at it. Especially for the sake of the four ponies.


	3. Operation: Falling Emperor

The roar of the engines echoed throught the vehicle as it darted into the air. The four ponies inside were each wearing a set of earphones, while exchanging looks tht ranged between excited and worried. As soon as they put on the earphones, the sound of static echoed into their ears, but was soon substituted by a raspy female voice.

"Ok soldiers, we are dropping you in Ponyville for this mission. Got a report of abduction in the town, near the town hall. Hope the civilians stay out of the way."

"And who are you? You are not the Commander." Stated bluntly Silent Rhapsody, raising an eyebrow, while sittng back in the uncomfortable seats of the flying machine. The voice paused for a couple of seconds.

"Rainbow Dash. I'm in charge of the situation room over here, helping the Commander keeping an eye on the situation around the world. Now, if we have finished with the stupid questions, I…"

"Oh, Rainbow Dash!" exclaimed Violet Storm excitedly, and Solid Steel and Wolfee gave her an odd look. She looked back at them for a second, before her expression changed to one of surprise. "Wait, you two don't know who she is? She won the last best flyer competition! She's a master of flying!" she exclaimed, clapping her hooves together. Solid Steel and Wolfee exchanged a look, before silently deciding to not reply. Silent Rhapsody grunted, while holding his rifle. From the other side of the earphones came silence again.

"Are you ok Dash?" asked a disembodied voice.

"I'm ok, I'm ok…" muttered the voice of the mare.

"Ok you four, listen up!" suddenly came the voice of the Commander. "I'll be following you from here and direct your group. We are following you via the Gps planted in your armor and a system of satellites, tracking a holographic map of the area. You have also an x-ray device and a minicamera, so we can directly see what you see."

"You said at least four words I don't know, Commander." Stated Solid Steel, with an half smirk. At least they weren't really alone.

"No need to explain them now. You have been equipped with the best rifles we have, and you should have enough ammo clips in your belt to shoot a lot. The only place in your belt nor occupied by clips is where your frag grenade is. Don't use it as you please, wait for an order."

"Yes sir!" the four ponies exclaimed.

"Very well then. You'll arrive at the target destination in…?"

"Two minutes." Sounded Rainbow's voice.

"Yeah, two minutes. So, any questions?"

"Yeah, one." Grunted Silent Rhapsody "What do you mean by abduction report? We have some lady in distress asking for us to free her?"

"You didn't see the shower, did you?" asked the Commander. The stallion shook his head, knowing that the Commander could see him through Wolfee's camera. "Long story short, they use a device to spread an unknown gas in populated areas. The gas first incapacitates the victim, then covers it in a green-goey cocoon, putting the victim into a state of stasis, before they are retrieved by…them. We are still working on an antidote to free the cocooned ponies."

"Destination in sight, prepare to deploy!" called the voice of the pilot, as the vehicle trembled and started to descend. The four ponies loaded their weapons, feeling adrenaline running down their entire body. The tailgate opened with a low noise, as the engine started to cool down. The four ponies descended, their weapons raised, looking around: the sight was quite normal. A simple town, with simple houses. The thing that hit them the most was the lack of sound.

"Ok, move in carefully…" sounded the Commander's voice. "The reports were from the near center of the town, you have been dropped not too far away, but you got a little walking to do. Stay under cover."

Wolfee gestured to his companions, who nodded and started to move. He and Silent Rhapsody took cover behind the corner of a house, while the mare and Solid Steel covered behind another one, looking around.

"No contacts yet."

"Well, continue to move. And stay sharp."

They nodded and continued to move. Violet Storm rushed a little further, looking around, searching for any sign of the machine that was used to spread that damned gas around. She didn't find any, but she stopped right in front of a building that caught her attention: it was quite different from any building she ever saw. This one was big, and reminded her of the fairy tale of Henstag and Gredoell, where they found the house made of sweets of the evil draconequus witch. It was a building apparently made to resemble something like that, since everything it was composed of resembled something sweet. The roof appeared to be made of chocolate, the walls of cream and the little tower on the top seemed to be covered in frosting.

The happy setting was ruined by the sign, dangling sadly, part of its support broken, and the series of wooden boards that had been used to cover the windows and the door.

"Oh dear…" echoed a voice in their earphones, as if somepony had spoken far from the microphone.

"Why are all of you here?" asked the Commander to somepony, before returning his attention to his soldiers. "Violet, take cover now! I don't want ponies standing in the middle of the street like idiots!"

The mare nodded and darted behind a mail box.

"I got something." called Solid Steel. "One of those machines… and there are at least three…uh… glued ponies."

"Can we even go near that thing?" asked Rhapsody, from behind his cover, glaring at the white thing.

"We don't know much about the gas, but at least one thing we understand: expires quickly. Right now it's not a threat."

"Copy that. Should we proceed with the rescue, then?" asked Wolfee, while making another run and crouching behind another corner.

"Negative. If there are enemies in the area, it's better that we deal with them now." Stated the Commander. "Better now then when your guard is down while moving around cocooned ponies."

"Ok. I'm moving." Called Solid Steel, turning around the corner and moving towards the square where the thing was planted in the ground. And as soon as he turned the corner, he froze: on the other side, partially obscured by the house, there were three little creatures that were managing to drag away another cocooned poniy.

None of them were bigger than a baby dragon, their skin of a dusty gray color. Their head was quite big though, as were their orange eyes. On the other hoof, Solid couldn't see any trace of mouth, nose or ears on their heads. As soon as they spotted the stallion, they emitted a sort of gurgling screech (how they did that without a mouth was out of Solid's comprehension) , and crawled away, searching for something to put between them and the stallion.

"Contacts!" called the voice of the Commander. "Solid, search for cover, now!" he ordered. The stallion immediately dashed back, covering behind a corner of a house, just a moment before a series of green blasts of energy splashed where he had been just a moment before, making a few holes in the wall.

"Well, I sure don't want to get hit by one of those things!" exclaimed Silent Rhapsody, peeking out from behind his cover and shooting at where the green shots had come from, with no results. "Damnit! Missed the target."

"Violet, they didn't see you nor Wolfee. Can you find higher ground?" asked the Commander. The mare immediately looked around, locating a solid gutter attached to another house that faced on the square. She darted towards it, and after veryfing its sturdiness, she started to climb, her heart beating like crazy. They were in a fight, after so much time.

The creatures emitted again their screech and showered another barrage of bullets at the two stallions covering respectively behind, a bar table and the corner of a house. Luckily, they were too far to have clean shots, and, even if a couple of them hit again the house, the others didn't even get near their targets.

On the other hoof, Wolfee, who had managed to crawl behind the Town Hall unnoticed, jumped out of his cover and opened fire. The swarm of bullets centered on one of the creatures, which gurgled in pain as it was pushed back by the strength of the hit, before falling to the ground in a pool of liquid similar in color to the rotten interior of an apple. Maybe blood. The gun-thingy that the alien was holding fell to the ground, fizzling with electricity, before cracking in a flash of green light.

"That's interesting…" muttered a new female voice in the soldiers' earpieces. "Apparently their weapons seems to self destruct when the operator dies. I recommend retrieving the remains for further analysis."

"When they are safe." grunted the Commander. "Good job Wolfee. With that , we know we can kill them." The stallion grinned, while taking cover again door to Town Hall. The other two aliens a moment at their companion's body, before darting back, one of them taking cover behind one of the poles sustaining the upper floor of the town hall, the other one running across the square, towards a bench. Unluckily for it, it entered into Violet Storm's line of fire. The mare, now standing on a roof, opened fire, and was rewarded with another gurgle of pain and the sound of the little body falling to the ground.

"Enemy pacified… permanently." She grinned, crouching again.

"Solid Steel, Rhapsody, move in." Ordered the Commander from inside the situation room, looking at the holographic map in front of him and giving quick glances with the six mares that were assisting at the operation. "Take cover and try to take down the one hiding behind the pole."

The pair of stallions started to gallop, getting out of the street and entering the square, Solid from the left and Rhapsody from the right. It was Silent Rhapsody that first noticed a movement in the tail of his eye.

"Fire incoming!" he screamed, lowering his head and starting to run faster: another three creatures had emerged from a side street, firing their weapons at the two stallions. Solid Steel jumped and dodged the green blasts, while his companion wasn't so lucky: a few seconds before reaching cover, a green blast hit the soldier directly in his side. Silent Rhapsody let out a scream of pain, as the smell of charring fur and flesh emerged from his side, and a few drops of blood stained his armor and the ground.

"Report soldier!"

"I'm ok, I'm ok… fuck this hurts!" stated the stallion, twitching in pain.

"He said a swear!"

"Not now Fluttershy!" shouted the Commander, before returning his attention to his soldiers. "Change of plan: Violet and Wolfee, take down the one hiding behind the pole, Steel, frag on that group of bastards."

"Uh… yes Commander!" stated the stallion. He grabbed the spherical item from his belt, pulled the pin, and threw it towards the three aliens. "But still, I don't understand how a pepper grenade will help us… I mean, it's good for subduing ponies, but I don't even…"

"Oh… you thought that it was that sort of grenade?" asked the Commandergrenade bounced along the ground a couple of times, before reaching the group of creatures, which looked at it for a second. Then the item suddenly light up and exploded in a flash of light and fire, accompanied by a loud boom that echoed through the night.

"That was amazing!" exclaimed Solid Steel, his eyes shimmering: two of the aliens had been thrown in the air by the force of the explosion, while the third one had been tossed away into the darkness.

Violet Storm let out a whistle of admiration, looking at the flower of flames flickering where the bomb exploded, before returning to her task and opening fire at the pole. But again, she didn't manage to hit the alien, which crouched again under cover as soon as it saw the mare preparing to shoot.

"That sneaky bastard…" she growled. "Wolfee, can you do something?" she asked.

"I'm trying. This one is indeed a sneaky one!" commented the stallon in question, trying to shoot too, but missing miserably and hitting only the pole with his bullets.

"Well, if there is just one, there should be no problem." Commented the Commander. "Be careful anyway. Solid Steel, report on Rhapsody?"

"He's stable. But this armor can't take another shot, I fear." Commented the stallion. Silent Rhaposdy gave out a groan, tapping carefully against his side. He let out a whimper of pain, before picking up his rifle.

"I can still fight." He stated. Solid looked at him, then nodded.

"Come on guys, relax, we can handle this." Said Wolfee. Then his ears flickered when he heard a gurgling screech coming from beside him: he turned, and saw another one of those creatures, even if this one had its body covered in gashes, burnt and oozing blood.

"One of them survived the explosion! Wolfee get out of there!" ordered the Commander, a hint of panic in his voice. Wolfee immediately turned and started to gallop down the short steps connecting the entrance of the town hall with the ground, failing to notice that the alien was motionless, its eyes shimmering with a strange purple light.

He saw too late the alien behind the pole suddenly move out of cover, a violet shimmer in its eyes, as it aimed and opened fire.

The first green blast hit the stallion in the chest, where his heart was beating, melting the armor and leaving in the air the smell of charred fur and meat. The second blast hit him directly in the head.

The stallion fell on the stairs and rolled down the last few steps, then lay motionless on the ground.

Violet Storm's eyes widened, as she felt her breath weakening. Solid Steel blinked, unable to move away his eyes from Wolfee's body. Only Silent Rhapsody reacted: he jumped up and ran up the short stairs, then aimed at the wounded alien inside town hall.

"Son of a bitch." He calmly stated, opening fire. The alien's head exploded like a melon hit by a sledgehammer.

The alien outside, that was aiming at the motionless head of Solid Steel, suddenly gurgled and fell to the ground, dead.

A few seconds of silence passed, before the Commander spoke again.

"X-ray scanning negative. All hostiles in the area have been eliminated. Good job."

-oOo-

The three ponies were sitting in the back of their vehicle, in silence. The pilot and his three assistants were occupied with retrieving the alien bodies and whatever was left of their weapons, as well as the cocooned bodies of the ponies, to bring them back to the facility. Violet Storm had made an emergency bandage around Silent's wound, but the Commander had already declared that he was going to stay in the medical bay for a little bit.

None of them were talking, and all of them avoided looking at the black bag contained Wolfee's body.

"Well, good work." sounded again the Commander voice. "You should be proud, quite a succesful mission."

"Succesfull? One of them is dead, Commander!" called a voice on his side. The soldiers stayed quiet, since the voice had given voice to their own thoughts.

"Yes, that's true. But that's one of the risks of being a soldier, and Wolfee knew that, when he signed up. And also, we have lost one, but we have saved… uh…. Eight, in all eight cocooned ponies. And that's a win in my book."

"This is a war…" muttered Solid Steel. "And we all agreed to do whatever was necessary to save our planet."

"He died while trying to defend his nation. That is not going to be forgotten." Added the Commander. "You three, you did good. Try to rest a little now. You deserve that."

As if to give more weight to his words, the pilot returned, as his three helper dragged inside a box filled with the remains of the weapons they had managed to retrieve and a set of bags with the aliens' body inside. After a minute, the engine started, and the machine rose in the air.

Violet Storm's closed her eyes, as the adrenaline left her system, and drifted into sleep using Solid Steel's shoulder as pillow, lulled by the deep and calming sound of the engine.


	4. A normal morning

"More!"

"You can't do it!" screamed Long Shot, pulling his ears.

"More!"

"That's too much, holy cow!" exclaimed Hiding Eye, looking amazed.

With the last, tense bite, Zealot finished gulping down the last piece of hot spicy chilly that he had ordered at the cafeteria counter, oblivious to the odd look he'd recieved from the mare on the other side.

"See, told you I could eat it." The zebra wheezed, his eyes watering as the sensation of burning pain spread over his tongue, gums and palate. "Now, if you excuse me, I'll take a sip of water…" he started, leaning towards the glass bottle filled with clean water. The young female buffalo was faster, and moved it away.

"Nah-ah Zealot, now you have to resist the pain." She snickered, as the zebra started to pant, sticking out his irritated tongue.

"Do you three have to be so dumb? At this hour?" asked Oak from another table, lowering his cup of coffee. "At least don't do this so early in the morning."

"Oh, come on Oak, lighten up a bit." Scoffed Long Shot, glaring at the other deer through his yellow-painted glasses. The grumpy stag grumbled.

"I still don't believe that a zebra's breakfast consists of spicy stuff" He grumbled, taking another sip. Masud passed behind him with a tray on his head, where at least three dishes were filled with peppers and chili.

"Yeah… I'm out of here." Chirped the female buffalo, trotting happily out of the cafeteria. The zebra grabbed the bottle of water and started to chug, as Long Shot snickered.

"You seem quite relaxed." Commented Masud from his table. "Doesn't seem like you lost a comrade anyway." He added, slurping at the chili. Long Shot shrugged.

"There is no point in beating ourselves up over that." he stated.

"Yup. That was part of the deal, when we accepted coming here." Added Zealot, burping. "Say sir, can I have one of your peppers?"

-oOo-

Hiding Eye walked calmly down the metallic corridor, body armor tight around her body. She waved happily her hooves at a couple of stallions passing by, with a flirty smile on her muzzle.

All in all, she was fine. She had been a little sad when the Commander told them that one of the soldiers he sent in had been killed in the first mission. At least, he was with his ancestors now. She had already given her regards to him, saying a short prayer to the spirits. And now, she was once more the happy buffalo she had been before.

She winked to a deer in a lab suit, who slammed against an iron door with his horns while staring back at the buffalo. She let out a laugh, and arrived in front of the gym's door.

"Hey Brute!" she called, storming in. As she expected, the bulky buffalo was inside the gym, raising a bar covered in weights. "Still not tired of doing stuff here?" asked Hiding Eye, walking between the various machines and standing near the male. Brute grunted, puffing and panting as he continued to raise the bar.

Hiding Eye sat on a padded bench, watching as the other buffalo continued his exercises. They didn't notice the silver coated stallion enter into the gym, until he called them.

"Hey you two! Good day!" called Solid Steel, waving a hoof. The two buffalo looked at him, before waving their hooves in response.

"Greetings… Solid Steel, right?" asked Brute, returning to his exercises. "How are you?"

"A little groggy, but nothing bad. Say, are these the only weights that are around here?" asked the stallion, walking near the two.

"And about the rest?" asked Brute, ignoring the pony's question. Solid Steel stiffened slightly, before shrugging.

"That's our job. Wolfee wasn't the first pony I saw die. We just have to get used to that again. Violet Storm took it a little worse, though."

"Oh my, maybe I can do something about her…" purred Hiding Eye with a devious smile. She passed around Solid Steel and hopped out, singing. Solid Steel glared at her for a second, before returning his eyes on Brute. "Mh… are you up for a brawl?"

"Meh, why not?"

-oOo-

Usually, after the first mission, Violet Storm's routine was sleeping until ten in the morning, having a quick lunch and then spending almost all the afternoon at the shooting range. This morning, it wasn't supposed to be any different, until a reddish blur stormed into her room and pulled the blanket off of her body.

"Heyo! Sleepy head, on your hooves!" Shouted Hiding Eye, startling the mare nto jumping into in the air, scared, the stumps on her back flapping uselessly. "Come on, you can't root under your blanket all morning. Come on, you are my only collegue!" called Hiding Eye, dropping the blanket and smiling.

"How did you get in?" grumbled the mare, hiding her head under the pillow. She had talked to the female buffalo just a couple of times, but she had already decided that she was crazy.

"Come on, come on!" exclaimed the buffalo. "You have to stay active! Come on, let's take a little walk!"

"Hiding Eye, please…" murmured the mare, but the buffalo didn't listen to reason, as she grasped the mare's tail and pulled her to the ground, and started to drag her towards the door. The mare sighed, freeing her tail and standing up. "You are not going to stop bugging me until I come with you, right?"

"Right!" agreed the buffalo, smiling brightly.

"Mh…" the mare grunted, eyeing the buffalo. Then she gave up and shrugged. "Ok, whatever… give me a minute…" she said in an annoyed tone, walking towards the small dresser of the room and opening it to reveal her body suit hanging there. She slipped it on with a slight grumble, feeling the eager presence of the buffalo looking at her. "Lead on." She finally said, receiving a happy squeal from Hiding Eye.

"Not that I don't like the company…" started the mare, as they exited the small room and started to walk down the corridor, side by side. "…but why don't you hang out more with Brute? I mean…"

"Meh, he's cool, but he isn't from my tribe." Shrugged the buffalo, walking at the pegasus' side. "And he's always so serious and stuff. I prefer to hang out with other girls anyway. And it seemed as if you needed it."

The mare grumbled, as the pair walked along the metallic corridor of the barracks. Yes, she had been a little off. Wolfee was the first pony's death she had witnessed in a long time, but she was getting over it. Maybe the buffalo was right, she needed to just do something other then sleep, eat, and shoot. And since she had to fight with the others, she might as well pass time with some of them.

"So… what do you want to do?" she asked to the buffalo, as they passed a group of ponies dressed like engineers.

"Well… usually I'd say something like shooting range or the gym. But you already do a lot of shooting, and in the gym… well, that probably isn't the best idea right now, if you are not interested in seeing a full grown buffalo and a bulky beat each other up."

"No, not really." Snickered the mare, at the quick image of Solid Steel and Brute brawling. "So what?"

"Maybe we can just explore this place! I'm bored out of my hoof with just the same thing over and over!" moaned the buffalo, stopping in front of the door leading to the rest of the base. "After all, we are not confined here, right?" she asked, pressing a pad and opening the metallic door, almost slamming into the Commander.

"Sorry Sir!" she exclaimed in her cheerful manner, saluting, imitated by Violet Storm, as she shook her head, exasperated. The Commander raised an eyebrow, looking at the buffalo. Behind him, the pegasus saw a couple of ponies looking curiously at Hiding Eye. One was an earth pony mare with a bright yellow coat and a long, wavy orange-pinkish mane. The second was another mare with a baby blue coat and a dark blue mane with some streaks of white in it. They were both wearing the same body armor as the other soldiers.

"What are you two doing here?" asked the Commander after a couple of seconds.

"Looking to take a trip around. Getting bored in here." Chirped Hiding Eye, jumping in place, gaining some more curious looks from the two mares behind the Commander.

"I see…" he stated slowly, before whistling to Masud, who was walking out of the cafeteria at the end of the corridor. "Major, please, escort these two recruits. I already talked to them, they know what to expect." He ordered, and the zebra trotted towards them and nodded, while the new recruits saluted. He then whispered something at the zebra's ear. The pegasus wasn't able to understand it all, she just caught a "…suicide, just let Fluttershy check on her…"

"Yes sir!" exclaimed the zebra with a salute, before gesturing to the pair of recruits to follow him. The Commander followed them with his blank eyes for a couple of seconds, before returning his attention to Hiding Eye and Violet Storm.

"At this point, just come with me then. At least you'll understand what you'll see." He stated, before turning. Hiding Eye grinned and hopped behind him, followed by the other mare.

"Where are we going then, Commander?" she asked, trying to search for any clue of their destination. "Not that we have some sort of objective, of course. I'm out here just because she…" Violet pointed at the buffalo. "…Dragged me out of bed."

"Mhm." Commented their superior, without turning. "I understand your desire to look around. Even if actually, I don't see what can interest you, outside of the barracks area. Anyway, we are heading towards the labs. I have some reports to hear about some of the things retrieved after the last mission." He explained, while opening another door and entering into a much larger corridor, where a great number of creatures were constantly passing. "Just remember to not say anything inconvenient." He added, heading towards a semi-transparent door, that opened as he approached.

"Neat." was the buffalo's comment.

The lab was exactly how you would imagine it: long white tables filled with papers, tubes filled with chemicals, a numerous series of research instruments, and a whole bunch of ponies in lab suits moving around, reading documents, examining stuff and generally, being in a state of organized chaos. Violet Storm spotted at least four unicorns with their horns missing or damaged, and at least one pegasus with a missing wing. On the other hoof, Hiding Eye spotted a doe, a couple of llamas and a little group of zebras arguing around a series of photos.

The commander walked in, the scientists all too busy with their jobs to pay him any attention, and walked towards a slightly elevated platform, where a purple unicorn mare was directing the scientists below, a cold expression on her muzzle. Violet Storm was sure she had seen her somewhere, maybe in some newspaper, but she couldn't remember…

The mare's coat was purle, as well as her eyes, while her mane was of a dark blue, with a couple of light violet-pink streaks in it, as well as in her tail. The lab coat covered the rest of her body, hiding her cutie mark from their eyes.

The most evident characteristic though, was the contorted and half burnt stump emerging from her forehead. It seemed as if her horn had exploded from the inside. Violet Storm gulped. She knew that the horn was a sensitive part of a unicorn's body, she didn't want to imagine the pain she had suffered.

"Commander." She saluted sternly as the Commander joined her on the platform. She gave a quick glance to the two soldiers following him, but didn't comment.

"Sparkle." Saluted the Commander, bowing slightly his head. "Is there any news regarding the projects I gave you?" he asked. The mare glared at him, before turning and walking towards a side corridor.

"With the number of researchers, we weren't able to do everything you requested. Anyway, we have finished our research on the alien materials retrieved from the field. Our understanding of the alien materials is limited at best, and we could spend years deciphering the complex manufacturing process required to produce and manipulate these substances. However, we have managed to crudely adapt some of the observed techniques into our own research." She stated, while walking beside a series of transparent rooms.

"That's good. Did you pass the results to Applejack and the engineering bay?" asked the Commander, while following the mare. Violet Storm was walking behind him, her face bowed down to hide her yawning, while Hiding Eye looked curiously in every room.

"Yes. She started immediately on planning a body suit to place under the soldiers' body armor, to increase their chances of survival." Nodded the mare, stopping in front of the finl room: inside, on a clean table was resting the corpse of one of the aliens. The trails from the bullets were almost shining under the light coming out from the ceiling. A couple of cameras were placed in the room, recording as a couple of ponies wearing bio-hazard suits approached the creature, as one of them, evidently a unicorn, raised a scalpel with its shining magic grasp, and started to cut open the creature's chest.

"As you can see, we are now moving on to the autopsy of the creatures." Commented coldly the mare, as a splurt of green liquid stained the glass wall.

"Is that a liver?" asked Hiding Eye, pointing through the room.

-oOo-

"What are you two even doing?!" snapped Masud, glaring inside the gym. The explanatory tour had gone so well, the two recruits were respectful and calm... and now, as they entered the room, they had the vision of an enomrous buffalo pinning (with fatigue) a silver stallion under him, panting. The rest of the room was a mess, with bars, machines and whatever else was in there scattered all around.

"Uh…melee?" asked the stallion, as the buffalo tightened his hold around his neck. The couple of mares behind the zebra murmured something with little smirks on their faces.

"Brawling is not an option against our enemies! There isn't enough space to risk moving so close for a hoof to hoof combat. Brute, let him go!" ordered the Zebra, with a light scowl. The buffalo calmly nodded and moved away from the pony. "And put everything in order. Right now." The zebra added, glaring at them. Brute nodded and immediately started to clean up the room, while Solid Steel climbed to his hooves, panting.

"Come on sir, we were just having a little fun."

"That's good, but that's no excuse for making a mess. Put everything in order." Answered the zebra.

"Come on, is there nopony else who could-" started the stallion, nearing Masud and raising a foreleg to put it on his superior's shoulder. In a second, the zebra grasped the foreleg with his and flipped the stallion throught the air, slamming him onto his back.

"There are, but everypony here has something else to do, other then reorder your mess. So you fix it. Clear?"

"Crystal clear, sir!" babbled the stallion, saluting from his place on the floor. The zebra nodded with a slight smirk.

"Anyway, if you two can use your muscle without devasting the room, I can think of playing with you two." He then turned towards the couple of mares. "Candlebright, please help these two, then feel free to choose your room between the ones still free." He said softly to the yellow mare, who nodded and walked over to help. "You Lily, come with me. The Commander wanted you to get checked in the medical bay." The other mare nodded, and followed the zebra outside.

"So… Hi." Stated the mare, as the door closed behind her.

"Greetings… Candlebright, right?" asked the buffalo with his calm voice, while putting back a weight machine. "I'm Brute."

"And I'm Solid Steel." Added the stallion, standing up and massaging his back. "Nice to see new soldiers. We surely can use more hooves."

"I just decided to do what is right." Shrugged the mare, while starting to gather up weights. "New soldiers?"

"Yup. After the last mission…"

"That was also the first." Added the buffalo.

"Yes, that was also the first, we lost a soldier, and another one is currently in the medical bay, and he'll stay in there for a little while." Explained the stallion.

"I see…"

-oOo-

"Are… are you feeling comfortable today…?" asked the yellow-coate pegasus in a tiny voice, hiding herself behind her long, pink mane. The nurse beside her rolled her eyes, before glaring at the stallion in the bed.

"So? Are you?"

"Why all this haste? I'm the only pony in here anyway." Stated Silent Rhapsody, before twitching a little in pain. "But I think I'd appreciate something for the pain."

"O…ok, we su-surely have s-something…" muttered the yellow mare, before backing up towards the nurses' room.

"What is her problem?" grunted the stallion. The other nurse glared at him, before turning.

"That is none of your concern. But be nice to her, she is one of the most skilled in here, even with her attitude." She stated, glaring with a I-will-break-your-legs-if-you-don't-do-as-I-say look at him. Silent Rhapsody gulped, and was filled with relief when the door at the far end of the infirmary opened and Masud and a mare entered.

"Good morning sir!" exclaimed the stallion, saluting, as the nurse turned and waved at the zebra. Masud saluted as well, while the mare behind him followed him, her eyes low.

"Morning soldier. How are you?"

"Hurt a little, but I'm fine, all in all." grunted the pony. The zebra nodded, before turning towards the nurse and ordering something, pointing at the mare behind him. The nurse nodded, then gestured to the mare to follow her, and disappeared into a side room.

"So… nothing new happened?" asked the wounded stallion. The zebra shook his head.

"If something was happening, you would be hearing an alarm." Stated the zebra, smirking.

A loud siren started to echo throughout the base.


	5. Operation: Golden Rain

"What's going on?" asked the Commander, as he rushed into the control room, followed by the purple unicorn, Hiding Eye and Violet Storm. The control room was a vast, circular room, with a whole lot of monitors and computers on the walls. In the middle of the room there was some sort of short machine that emitted a soft light, creating in mid air a holographic representation of the planet. A group of ponies were sitting at computers around the machine, rumbling and exchanging worried looks.

A cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane, wearing a dark green uniform, got up from the group of ponies and walked towards him, saluting as she lowered her earphones. Violet Storm's mouth opened slightly, recognising one of the most famous pegasi in the last few years: Rainbow Dash, the only pegasus able to perform a sonic rainboom, and one of the most talented fliers ever.

"We have reports of abductions in Stagingrad, Commander." She stated, pointing at the holo-globe.

"Just aroudn the corner, uh?" muttered hironically the Commander, before grabbing his earpiece. "I want Solid Steel, Brute, Oak and one of the new recruits on the transport in two minutes." He barked, taking position in front of the globe. "Dash, let's move the satellite into the zone and let me have a map of the area." He added. The mare nodded and turned, trotting towards a group of ponies in front of another computer, and Violet Storm noted her wings: one had been burned and ripped away, leaving only a fleshy stump, similar to hers, while the other one was dangling lifelessly at the mare's side.

"I think I'm getting what the Commander meant about being careful with what we say…" whispered the female buffalo at her ear, looking at the mare's wings as well.

-oOo-

"Ok soldiers, we are dropping you in Stagingrad for this one." sounded the harsh voice of Rainbow Dash in the soldiers' earphones. Brute gave a quick nod, before turning and looking at Candlebright, who was sitting beside him, rocking slightly in her seat.

"Hey Oak, that's in deer territory, right?" asked Solid Steel, giving a nudge to the stag. He glared at him, before nodding.

"More or less, but it's just on the border with the raindeer land." He explained. "Our cold-loving cousins."

"Anyway, the drill is the same as last time. Eliminate any aliens that get in your way. Saving the cocooned ponies is the priority, as well as protecting the civilians, if they are stupid enough to not hide." stated the Commander. "Now, thanks to our Engineer Chief Applejack, we have a couple of interesting additions to your equipment. They managed to develop and build a quick healing spray medikit. I suggest to a couple of you to grab those, since I'll gladly avoid having more soldiers in the medical bay."

"And where are we supposed to put these? There are no pockets in this armor." Snarled the stag, as he grabbed a red and white sort of spray-handle-machine thingy.

"In place of the grenade. Sorry, but we didn't have the time to make them any smaller." Sounded a southern female voice. The stag grumbled, as he picked up the thing and attached it to his belt, replacing the spherical explosive. Brute did the same, while Solid Steel and Candlebright stuck with their explosives.

"Now, follow my lead, and don't do anything stupid. Stay calm, and everything is going to be ok." Added the Commander. "Since is a far away location, it's goin to be a long trip. Load your weapon and be ready."

-oOo-

The vehicle landed with a soft thump on the white carpet of snow. The backgate opened slowly, falling on the snow, as the four soldiers started to step down, their weapons ready. Due to the different zone of the planet, the sun here was setting, starting to stretch the shadows of the buildings. The flying machine cooled off, as a cold wind started to whistle around them.

"Ok, we'll wait for you here." Sounded the voice of the pilot. He was able to land inside the city this time, in a large square in front of a restaurant, a group of apartment buildings at either side. A few feet from them, one of the gas-spreading devices was hissing slightly, the residue of green fog disappearing in the freezing wind.

"Very well then. Stay sharp, it's probable that the aliens are near the area, considering the presence of cocooned victims." Muttered the Commander. "Brute, Oak, get under cover, Solid and Candlebright, dash towards the restaurant and take cover inside, at least you are going to have plenty of solid cover."

The soldiers nodded and started to move, the buffalo and Oak sliding behind a bench and starting to look around, ready to open fire on any possible threat. The two earth ponies ran towards the resturant, their hooves sinking slightly in the snow with every step.

"You should get a set of socks with the armor. My hooves are cold." Whispered the mare, letting out a nervous giggle. Solid Steel smirked, before raising on his hindlegs and giving a glance through the restaurant window.

"Seems clear." He stated, before kicking the glass door open and walking inside, his rifle raised. He glared around, before pressing himself behind a fallen table, imitated by the mare. Near them, a couple of deer were motionless inside their prison of greenish goo.

"Oak, stay outside. Brute, start to walk around the building, keep yourself in Oak's line of sight." Ordered the Commander, studying the tridimensional map in front of him. "Solid Steel and Candlebright, examine the storage area of the restaurant." Solid Steel nodded, and started to move, when his ear flickered, as he heard a rasping and gurgling sound coming from behind the door leading into the storage area. He immediately pressed to the wall, before slowly slideing behind the counter, nearing the door and gesturing to the mare to stop.

"Commander, I think there is something inside." He whispered, preparing his weapon.

"Well, then just sayt hello. With your grenade." Ordered the Commander, a smirk evident in his voice. The stallion grinned, before slamming open the door: in the middle of the vast room, near a metallic shelter laying on the ground, the stallion had the vision of three of the same small mouthless creatures that he had already encountered. They raised their heads, emitting their gurgling sounds.

"Hey there, catch this!" he roared, tossing the grenade into the room, before returning to cover. The explosion echoed through the building, accompanied by the sound of shattering stoves and a burning wave of heat storming out of the storage area inside the restaurant. The stallion risked taking a look, and from the smoke, a couple of green blasts shot out, aiming at him. The alien failed miserably, hitting the wall, but it was enough for the stallion to immediately retract his head, as Candlebright let out a squeak of fear.

"One is still up." Commented the Commander, examining the map: there were no other signals. "Stay under cover and wait for the air to clear."

"Yeas Commander." Growled the stallion, reloading his weapon. His ear flicked again, as he heard the sound of little feet running away.

The door at the side of the building slammed open, as the creature rushed out, squealing. Unfortunately for him, Brute was exactly beside the door, his rifle aimed and ready to shoot. A fast shot, and the squealing ended.

"Target is down." Stated the buffalo with his calm voice, as he reloaded his weapon.

"Well done. Oak, move up. Solid and Candlebright, examine the storage." Ordered the Commander. "Anyway, we are getting some other resposes. There are still enemies in the area. Be careful." He added.

The stag looked around, before running towards the restaurant. He didn't notice the shimmer of the weapon aimed at him from one of the windows on the upper floor of the building. A group of greenish bolts of energy darted out of the window, hitting the ground around the stag. At least, two of them did. The third hit the deer right over his back, leaving a charred mark, as he let out a grunt of pain. Oak dashed inside and stumbled on the floor, a pained expression on his muzzle.

"Averyone take cover inside! Find a way to the upper floor, we have hostiles over there." Barked the Commander, whispering a curse. "Oak how a-"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Growled the stag, raising the medikit from his belt and pressing the button on it, aiming at his wound. From a little tubes, a huge cloud of shimmering blue gas emerged. Oak coughed a couple of times, and when the smoke vanished into the air, the scorched wound on his back had disappeared.

"Well, look at that…" he muttered. "Seems this thing is quite good, after all."

"Yeah, the bad thing is every one of them only holds one charge. Try to be more careful from now on." Growled the Commander. "Now, take cover and whoever needs to reload, do it. Candlebright, check the stairs."

The mare gulped, and started to move towards the dark stairway. As soon as she took a couple of steps, two blasts were shot from the top of the stairs, hitting the ground in front of her, leaving smoking marks on the floor. She squeaked and ran behind a table, as her companions mooved behind the walls of the dining room.

"Now, Candlebright, Solid, you run up the stairs and kill whatever there is up there. Oak, cover them."

Candlebright took a couple of steps, before a couple of shots were fired from the other end of the stairs, hitting the tiles on the floor a few feet away from her hooves. She let out a scream, and started to back up.

"Candlebright!" screamed the Commander into his headset, but the mare didn't listen to him: she turned and ran out of cover, panicking. Another series of shots were fired.

One of the three blasts of green energy hit her on the neck. The mare screamed, falling to the ground and starting to gurgle and cough in pain, as boiling blood started to splurt out of the wound. As soon as the first shot was fired, Solid Steel had taken cover behind a shelf covered in clean plates and dishware, and now was staring at the gurgling body of the mare.

"Candlebright!"

"Stay behind cover. Oak, try to aim at the stairs. Brure, get outside and try to find something like an emergency stair. Solid Steel, stay under cover and be ready to shoot anything coming down the stairs." ordered the cold voice of the Commander.

"She's still alive!" shouted the stallion, looking at the mare on the ground. "I can drag her here, just…"

"Negative, stay in position."

"But…"

"That's an order. Leave her there and concentrate on the stairs." growled the Commander. Solid Steel bit his lips, as the mare gasped and continued to pant and gurgle, tears of pain streaming from her eyes.

"Negative." he growled, before taking his earpiece and tossing it to the ground. He glared at the stairs, before dashing out from cover, and galloping towards the mare. A couple of shots were fired from upstairs, but he quickly lowered his head and the green blasts passed over him, hitting the floor. Oak poked his head out, opening fire himself.

The stallion grasped the mare by the wrist with his foreleg and continued on to dash behind a table.

"Candlebright can you hear me? Calm down, you are going to be fine. Stay with us!" called the stallion, trying to calm down the wounded mare. From upstairs, another shower of blasts was fired directly at him. He lowered his head as the table was hit. Splinters and pieces of wood flew all around him, as the frail wooden frame of the table was destroyed. He started to look around for another cover, and failed to notice the second series of blasts.

At least, until a couple of them hit him first on the shoulder and second on his chest, since his body, without the protection of the table, was such an easy target. The stallion screamed in pain, as he fell to the ground, motionless, his charred flesh sending a thin trail of smoke in the air.

"Fuck this shit!" screamed the Commander, slamming his head on the console in front of him, making Hiding Eye jump slightly. Violet Storm took a couple of steps, her eyes wide with fear as the image of the motionless body of the stallion was transmitted to the screen by the camera hidden inside Oak's armor.

"They both still have a heartbeat Commander, they are both alive." Called a zebra from another screen. The Commander growled.

"Not for long, I fear…" he hissed. Then his attention was drawn back to the battle: Brute's camera showed that the buffalo had swiftly climbed up an emergency ladder, entering the upper floor of the restaurant and into what seemed to be the living quarters of the family that owned the place. The buffalo had silently opened the bedroom door (where a deer was trapped inside a green cocoon of goo) and was now watching the backs of two aliens hiding on top of the stairs.

"Kill them." The Commander whispered to the buffalo. Immediately, the buffalo jumped into the open and opened fire against the aliens: the closer was slammed against the ground as soon as the bullets passed through his little chest. The second alien emitted his scream before hurrying into a room.

"Keep the alien isnide that room. Oak, go up." Ordered the Commander. Immediately the stag started to move, turning slightly towards the two ponies laying on the ground.

"Commander sir, what about them…?" murmured Violet Eye. The Commander didn't answer, his eyes glued to the holographic map in front of him.

"Commander." Started Brute, as Oak emerged from the stairs and pressed himself against the wall. "It's only one alien, Oak can manage it while I go down and use the medikits on them. At least, I can stabilize them."

"Stabilize the mare, then drag them to the veichle. There is a paramedic on board for this kind of situation, after all." jumped in Leaf, emerging from Celestia-knew-where. "Then return to the field."

"Commander?"

"…Be quick." Finally agreed the Commander, shooting a glare at the deer near him. The buffalo nodded at the deer and ran down the stairs, immediately spotting the two bodies. He took out his medikit, and started to spray the shimmering gas on the mare's body. Above him, he heard a series of shots, with the addition of a series of curses on Oak's part.

The buffalo easily lifted the mare and the stallion, and started to move towards the flying vehicle, running out of the restaurant. He could hear the Commander making contact with the pilot and the medic. As soon as he reached the machine, there was already a unicorn waiting for him, who immediately started to work on Solid Steel's wounds.

"Is he going to make it?" he asked, looking the unicorn's horn starting to shimmer.

"Yes, I can save him. But he'll have to stay put for a while, as will the mare."

"I'm sure that this is for the best." Commented the buffalo, as he faintly heard the Commander saying, in a much more relaxed voice, to Oak to return to the vehicle.

-oOo-

The Commander breathed camly, lowering his earphones. Another succesful mission, this time with no casualities, even if they had come close. He was going to have a lot of scolding to do.

"Applejack, please ask your friend to start develop some sort of armor. The ordinance ones have proved to be far less than effective." He stated, turning towards the orange mare.

"Well… Commander, Ah don't know if Rarity will be able to, I mean, after all she-"

"This is more important that her self-pity. We need her talent. Or she's going to have my soldiers' deaths on the conscience." Stated the Commander, before turning and leaving the control room.

Oo-oO

Panic. I hate panic in the game. Especially for the recruits. Moving out of cover, or shooting to the teammates. Ugh. Anyway, the last cap of all my fic before christmas. So, yeah, merry christams to you all, stay safe, stay warm, and watever. I'm not good for this things.


	6. Bonding

"Solid, can you hear me? Solid?" asked a concerned voice. Solid Steel's ears flicked, as he opened an eye slightly: he was resting in a soft, comfortable bed, inside a long, white room. The infirmary, he assumed. And then he noted the Commander, accompanied by Leaf, at his bedside.

"I'm still alive, Commander…?" he asked in a rough voice. The Commander raised an eyebrow.

"Evidently. Even if not for your actions." Commented coldly the Commander, glaring at him. "You disobeyed my orders, and almost got killed. This is one strike out. I hope something like this never repeats. Am I clear?" he asked. Solid Steel shifted a little, feeling the bandages tightly-wrapped around his body.

"Yes sir. Clear." Nodded the stallion. The Commander nodded, satisfied.

"Very well. You'll stay here for a couple of days more, as well as Candlebright. When you are out, we'll have a promotion waiting for you. And a totally different setup, to better suit your styile." Said the Commander, before turning and starting to walk away. Leaf took a step towards the bed.

"Violet Storm said to give you this when you woke up." he said softly.

And then, he punched the stallion right on the nose. Solid Steel let out a scream of surprise and pain, raising a hoof towards his bleeding nose.

"She said that next time you do something like this, I'm authorized to break a chair over your head." Added the deer, smirking, as Fluttershy hurried out of her office, lured by the squeal of pain of the wounded stallion.

-oOo-

The mare in question was actually in her room, thinking about the last few days: Solid Steel and Candlebright had been brought into the medical ward as soon as they returned, a couple of days back. She had passed mostly of her time waiting for news, with Hiding Eye trying to comfort her in her peculiar way. And then the Commander had called her, as well as the big buffalo, Brute.

"Soldiers trained in the support class serve as both field medics and logistical support to the squad they are attached to." he had started, before explaining that after the past missions, he had decided that she and Brute proved to be good choices for that. "Talos will help you with your training, and will share with you his experience. And you can also consider these as promotions. Congratulations, squaddies."

She then had met Talos. It was a skinny, gray goat, that had difficulty with speaking, but that proved to be an expert in his field. He had trained the pair of soldiers with simulations and elaborate tactical actions, in case the Commander was unable to communicate with them and they had to take the lead.

Brute was a good collegue, had realized Violet Storm. He was silent, gentle, and had calm. The total opposite of the hyperactive female buffalo. He had also saved Solid's life, and that was something the mare wasn't going to forget.

"Speaking of hyperactive buffalo…" she muttered, as the lamp on the ceiling dislodged itself, falling to the ground, and Hiding Eye's head popped inside from the hole in the ceiling.

"Hey there Violet!" she called, smiling. "The door was locked."

"I know. I locked it." Sighed the gray pegasus.

"Peculiar." Commented the buffalo. "Come on, let's go snoop around!" she added. Violet Storm sighed again, before dropping off the bed and starting to walk towards the door. As soon as she opened it, she noted another mare standing in the hallway, waiting beside an open ventilation grate.

"Hello there." She said, waving a hoof. "I don't think we were actually introduced. I'm Winter Lily." She said, holding out her hoof. The gray pegasus blinked, before shaking it. "I assume Hiding Eye actually found the way into your room."

"Oh, she kidnapped you too?" giggled the pegasus. "It doesn't surprise me very much." She continued to giggle, as the buffalo crawled out of the vent.

"Hooray for me! Violet Storm's rescue succeeded! And now, to the exploration!" cheered the buffalo, before pointing at the exit of the barracks. The two mares exchanged a glance, before following the hopping buffalo.

"So… you are the new recruit?" Violet asked after a couple of minutes of silence. The other mare nodded.

"Yup. After the first attack, I lost my work and home, and since I can't either fly or use magic…" muttered the other mare, moving away her hair and showing a cracked stump on her forehead. "I just wanted to be useful."

"I'm sure you will." said the pegasus with a smile, flapping her stumps. Then she noted that she didn't have the slightest idea of where she was. "Uh… Hiding, where are we going?"

"Dunno. Somewhere, I think!" she happily cheered.

"She's always like that?" whispered Winter Lily. The other mare sighed again.

"Usually she is much more talkative." Commented Violet Storm.

"I'm letting you two bond." Called the buffalo. "Uh, look at this! 'Workshop'! Nice, we never have been here before." Called happily the mare, before continuing to walk, a large door sliding open as she approached. "Woah!"

The workshop was an enormous room, even larger than the labs. Earth ponies were running around a series of machines, working on different projects. The smell of burnt plastic was covering everything else. The couple of mares looked in amazement at the machines working, repeating the same movements over and over, and initially didn't noticed the mare calling for them. On the other hand, Hiding Eye noted.

"Hello ma'am Applejack, ma'am!" she saluted, hopping right in front of her with a bright smile.

"What are ya'll doing here?" asked the orange mare, raising an eyebrow. "This ain't no place for soldiers."

"Ouh, come on, we are just exploring." whined Hiding Wye, pouting.

"Ah don't care, ya may get in the way..." continued Applejack, as Violet Storm and Winter Lily joined them. "Ya'll better be going."

"Ok, I guess we have to explore somewhere else…" said the pegasus. "Come on Hiding Eye."

"But I want to explore here!" whined the buffalo, pouting. Applejack rolled her eyes in annoyance

"Ya'll not stop pestering me 'til ya get a trip around, will ya?" she asked, sighing. The buffalo nodded enthusiastically, glad that Applejack had taken the hint. The orange mare sighed, and turned towards a group of ponies gathered around a workbench. "Pinkie, come here!" she called, while looking at the group. "I need ya to foalsit these curious soldiers and keep them out of the way."

"Coming!" called a cheery voice, as a pink pony left the group and started to walk towards them, smiling. She was a pink earth pony with a poofy mane, and a group of baloons printed on her flank. She walked slowly towards them, limping slightly, and when she shifted to give a smile to the other earth pony, they noted that one of her hindlegs was fake. It was a metallic, clear prosthesis, that emitted a light clank at every step of the mare.

"Pinkie please, keep an eye on them. So they don't get in the way." Said tiredly Applejack. "Ah have already to watch the construction of the new satellite, and the new batch of nano-fiber vests as well." She said, before sighing and walking away.

-oOo-

"Are you sure it's ok for you to walk around?" asked Long Shot, lowering his glasses a little, looking at Oak.

"Heck, would you stop this? You already asked me three times in two days!" grunted the other deer, snarling, as the couple of deer and Zealot walked out of the gym of the level.

"Apparently the medikit developed by the scientists here was much more effective than we imagined at first." Noted Zealot. "They probably fused the effects of some curative potions and accellerative healing magic. Maybe added some chemicals and stuff. They know what they are doing."

"I would be rather surprise at anything different." Snorted Oak.

"Well, I was just worried, that's all…" muttered the deer, before suddenly stopping and raising an ear.

"What's happening?" asked Zealot, stopping as well. "Something wrong?"

"The Commander is shouting at someone. A mare, judging by the voice." Stated the deer. It was coming from the civilians quarters, right behind the corner.

"You three should really find something better to do." Snarled a voice behind the trio: Silent Rhapsody was entered into the corridor, limping slightly and with a fresh bandage around his chest, half covered by the body armor.

"Raph! You are on duty again I see." Said Zealot, smiling. "All fixed up?"

"All fixed up, would seem." Grunted the earth pony. "Even if the mare that healed me was quite pathetic-looking, she really knew what she was doing. And also, when I got out, Major Masud told me that I was promoted, and chosen for further training as a heavy weapons soldier. He told me to look for a certain buffalo hanging around the control room, that's supposed to be a veteran."

"Oh, the Commander said something like that." grunted Oak. "I was promoted as well, on the same line of action. I was told I was going to have a classmate." Snickered the deer. "At least, I can introduce you to that buffalo."

"And I bet casually pass the Commander?" asked the pony, raising an eyebrow. The deer shrugged.

"Maybe." He stated. "You know, it's the only way…"

"Can we accompany you two?" asked Zealot, smirking. "You know, to have a look around…"

"That's a bad excuse, for that you should go around with Hiding Eye. If you say that around us, nopony is going to believe you." snorted Oak. "Too bad. We'll tell you later." He added, as the automatic door opened to let him and the other pony pass through, before closing on the saddened faces of Zealot and Long Shot.

Now they could actually hear the strong voice of the Commander echoing through the corridors of the civilian quarters. It wasn't actually screaming, but the voice was echoing easily, and was carrying a quite agitated tone. A couple of scientists passed beside the pair of soldiershurrying away, apparently trying to get away from the hotzone.

"Seems like somepony made the Commander snap."

"That's quite unprofessional." Grunted Silent Rhapsody, as the two continued on their path. The deer shrugged, as they turned a corner.

"You are supposed to be the one responsible for the design and creation of body armors! The princess herself suggested you!" echoed the Commander's voice. Oak had the impression that the Commander was struggling a lot to not show his real anger. "But all you've been doing since you got here is just stay closed up in your room, wallowing in your own self-pity!"

"Excuse me if I'm passing through one of the most terrible moments of my entire life!" answered a hysterical female voice. "I want to be left alone, and my friends have acknowledged this desire! Why can't you just leave me alone!?"

"Because we need you!"

The deer and the pony turned the last corner, and stopped as soon as they saw the Commander. He was standing in the middle of the corridor, facing a cloaked pony, both of them in front of an open room. A couple of unicorns and a buffalo passed behind them fast.

"You are supposed to be the best one for this work." Continued the Commander, as his eyes scanned quickly through the corridor, and stopped over Silent Rhapsody. "Do you see that stallion, Rarity?" he asked, pointing at him. "He was hit, and almost died. Because the ordinance armor isn't suited for the aliens' weapons. And another soldier wasn't so lucky!" he exclaimed. The mare shifted uncomfortably, keeping her head low.

The pair of soldiers didn't understand who she was. They just had the possibility to see the end of her legs, pure white, and the ends of a purple and curled tail.

"I'm… still not ready…please, leave me alone…" she finally muttered, trying to step back. The commander snarled, and pinned down the edge of the cloak.

"I'm not finished with you, missy!"

"Let me go!" screamed the mare, stepping back quickly. The black cloak emitted a ripping noise, as the stitching tore, and it fall down in two pieces.

Oak's eyes widened, as Silent's mouth distorted in a face of disgust.

"Don't look at me! I'm hideous!" screamed the mare, backing up and trying to cover her face with her hooves: her neck, part of her back and her belly, one of her legs and half of the mare's face were a mass of exposed, burnt flesh. Part of her cheek was missing, leaving exposed part of her theet. The mane was completely absent, except for some few hairs.

The mare's blue eye started to water, as she rushed back inside the room and slammed the door. Silent had the quick vision of the remains of a horn on her forehead, before the metallic door closed.

"Fuck!" groaned loudly the Commander. "I'm sorry, Rarity!" she called. "Please, think about it… we need you. You can save so many of them with your work… or at least, increase their chances." He said in a softer tone, pressing his face against the door. He sighed, before turning.

"And what are you two doing here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh… I wanted to introduce him to our graduated trainer." Answered Oak, saluting. "Is there a problem?"

"Uh… No no, go on…" muttered the Commander, suddenly distracted by a beeping sound coming out from one of his pockets. He took out a round blinking device, with a serious expression on his face.

"What is it, sir?" asked the earth pony, taking a step forward. "Other abductions?"

"No… for those there is the general alarm…" muttered the Commander. "This is something different…"

Oo-oO

Disfigured Rarity. She's still one of my favourite though. And, about the emergency for the next cap… I wanted to do something different from a simple abduction mission this time, but I wasn't sure: UFO crash site, or Council mission?

I'll let you guys decide. I'll just say that in the council mission I have in mind, there will be another character of the series joining the ranks of the X-PON project. I'll leave you guess who's going to be.


	7. Operation: Black Cloud

"What's going on?" asked the Commander, storming into the situation room. Rainbow Dash was immediately at his side, pointing at the holographic representation of the planet, where a red dot was blinking.

"A ufo passed throught the protective shield." She explained. "It's actually the first time we manage to spot one of these!"

"We should thank Applejack and her engineers for building those satellites." Grunted the Commander. "What is it?"

"A small one, luckily. It's moving into Equestrian territory, over Vanhoover." Immediately reported the pegasus. The commander nodded, then he turned towards a console, pressing a button and speaking into a microphone.

"Muffin one! Take your interceptor and take flight, now!" he ordered. Before turning towards the rest of the room. "I want a 3D map of the area asap, and put another interceptor on the ready, in case Muffin one gets shot down." He ordered. A stag nodded and started to bark orders over anoter microphone, as the Commander walked towards the center of the room again.

"Are you sure she's…a good choice? I mean, I know her, she…" started Rainbow Dash, coughing slightly.

"She offered to be a pilot. She is a pegasus. She does know how to fly. It's enough for me." Grunted the Commander. "And after all, she deserves revenge."

-oOo-

The gray pegasus ran down the corridor, entering into the hangar, where her jet was waiting for her. A zebra and an earth pony gestured at her as soon as she entered into the hangar, taking the helmet that one of them was handing to her.

"Do you remember the training?" asked the zebra, as the mare pressing down her helmet on her head, pressing the blonde mane.

"I do." She muttered, flapping her wings and jumping into the cockpit, before closing it and looking at the numerous controls in front of her. She placed her ass on the uncomfortable seat. She placed her hooves on the control stick, while she felt the airplane being moved, the launching pad aiming at the aperture in the ceiling. She snorted and grasped the respirator, placing it over her muzzle.

"We are sending the coordinates to your on-board computer." Sounded the Commander's voice in her ear, as the jet's engine started to roar. "Are you ready?"

"I am…" grunted the mare. The jet dashed up the ramp and launched into the sky. The mare was pressed against her seat, unable to listen to whatever the Commander was saying. At least, until the cabin's pressure fixed itself, and she was able to take control of the vehicle.

"Derpy, move north-west. Once you get close enough, the position of the ufo should be shown on your jet's radar." Sounded Rainbow's voice. The mare nodded, even if they couldn't see her.

The ground was passing extremely fast under the vehicle, faster than she was ever been able to fly on her own. She wondered if this was how fast Rainbow had flown when she had still been able to. Or maybe the Wonderbolts! She usually didn't fly fast, since her job had never required it.

She shook her head, trying to let one tear roll away from her eyes. That wasn't the moment for those. Suddenly, a loud beeping from her console attracted one of her golden, uneven eyes.

"Sir, I have it locked!" she exclaimed, as the silhouette of a silvery disc emerged from a bunch of clouds in front of her. She thought for a second about how fast she was moving at, to have arrived in the Vanhoover sky in just a few minutes. Just for a second, before returning her glare on her target.

The disc was flying quite fast as well, and its shiny surface was evident in the night sky, leaving a trail of condensed air in its wake.

"I'm afraid that I'm going to lose i!." Shouted the mare. "He's a bit faster than me."

"Then let's get rid of him, shall we?" asked the Commander, ina soft tone. The pegasus nodded, and aimed. The first shot scared her: she hadn't been expecting to see the missile fly suddenly out from beneath one of the wings, hitting the ufo with an explosion of flames.

The ufo trembled in the air, before continuing its flight, a few blasts of green energy shooting from a cannon on its side. The mare did a barrel roll, avoiding getting hit. She knew that getting hit probably wasn't a good idea.

"You are doing great!" cheered the Commander. The mare let out a little smile, before shooting again. And again, the missile hit its target. She gladly watched as the alien vehicle trembled in the air, a thin trail of smoke mixing with the condensed air behind it.

"For Dinky." Was the last growl of Derpy Hooves, as a third missile was launched. The ufo exploded emitting a last puff of smoke, before starting to fall, aiming towards the ground.

"Well done muffin one." Stated the Commander, while from behind his voice, the sound of cheering and happiness arrived in her ears. "Now, return to base. We have sent a squad to deal with the remains."

-oOo-

"All right guys, the ufo has crashed in a sparsely populated area. There should be no civilians involved." Started to explain Rainbow Dash, speaking through the earpiece of the four soldiers sitting inside the large flying vehicle.

Hiding Eye, Winter Lily, Long Shot and Zealot exchanged a few glances, shuffling a little. This was their first mission, after all.

"It's probably going to be a simple retrieval mission. But you never know if some of those little buggers are still alive." continued the mare's voice. "We are going to drop you at the edge of the woods, so the aircraft has enough space to land. We may have some problems with making a map of the situation and following you on it, due to all the trees and wreckage, but we'll try to follow via cameras. Don't do anything stupid." She finished her briefing, while the aircraft stopped and started its descent.

"Me? Something stupid? When did something like this ever happened? " asked the female buffalo, grinning and leaving the aircraft, as soon as the back opened, letting them step out of the metallic belly of the vehicle. She aimed her rifle around, letting her eyes study the area, while her three companions got out as well.

"How are we supposed to find the ufo?" asked Winter Lily, looking into the dark forest. Having only the moon for light wasn't really good for them.

"I say we follow the smoke and the charred trees. I'm sure that a flying object crashing would have left a lot of traces." Muttered the zebra, before sniffing the air. "Let's move." He added, entering into the forest, followed by the others. After a few minutes, as he had predicted, they started to see high firs with their tips torn away.

"Keep your weapons ready." Muttered Long Shot, sniffing the air. "We are getting nearer. I can smell the smoke."

"Just so you know, we have located the ufo." chimed in the Commander's voice. "It's not far away. But start to move more quietly and stay under cover." He ordered. The four immediately raised their ears and started to move slower. Hiding Eye, usually noisy, was now moving quickly and silently, almost without making a sound.

"I can see something burning." Whispered Zealot in the little microphone, looking at a burning tree. He then spotted a scar on the ground, going on for a few meters. He gestured to the others, before moving slowly forwards, until finally stopping: in a little basin was resting the carcass of the ufo. The white metal was contorted and broken in a few places, part of it totally destroyed. But it seemed to still be active in some way, since a series of long, shining transparent light-doors were active on a couple of spots around its circumference.

"Stay sharp soldiers… move nice and slow." Muttered the Commander. "X-rays are positive. There is something alive in the area. Apart from you."

"Lovely…" grunted Zealot, before sliding out of cover and moving behind a burning tree. "Enemy spotted!" he whispered suddenly: he had spotted a group of three aliens, sitting around a piece of metal probably fallen of the ufo.

"They are close enough to each other. Use a grenade, don't risk them noticing you." Ordered the Commander. The zebra nodded, and silently took out the explosive attached to his belt, pulling the pin and launching it. It landed with a little splush in the mud right behind the tree.

The explosion echoed through the night, scaring a group of owls resting on a tree, which flew away as soon as the grenade exploded and sent the three aliens into the air, their tiny bodies shredded to pieces.

"Booya!"

"Keep it down soldier, we are not clear yet!" barked the CommanderAs if to lend him reason, a couple of aliens crawled out of one of the light-doors, dashing behind some pieces of metal, and took cover.

"We have lost the element of surprise. We have to push forward." Exclaimed the stag, jumping out of cover and opening fire: the bullet swarm hit the metallic surface, without cracking it. The stag grunted and returned behind the tree, just in time to avoid a series of green blasts shot at him.

"Hiding Eye, Winter Lily, try to flank them. Zealot and Long Shot, keep them occupied." Ordered the Commander. Immediately the two males started to open fire, forcing the two aliens to stay under cover, shooting just a few blasts without even having time to aim.

"Come on, let's go." Whispered Hiding Eye, moving swiftly between the trees, silently looking through the area lit up by the burning ufo. Winter Lily just crawled behind her, trying not to catch the aliens' attention. Suddenly the buffalo stopped, and calmly raised her rifle, aiming at one of the aliens. She shot just two bullets, but they both centered on the target: one of the aliens fell on the ground, emitting its gurgling scream of pain.

The other alien emitted a scream of anger, turning and aiming at the buffalo, opening fire: but unfortunately for him, the darkness of the woods didn't help, and he totally missed the soldier, hitting a tree instead.

"Come on guys, come on!" cheered Long Shot, grinning. Then he stopped, raising his ears: from the sky arrived the sound of engines, and after a second, a disgusting creature dropped right behind him: it was a strange cybernetic-like creature. It didn't have legs, but was just floating in the air thanks to a couple of jets built into its back. The long arms were made out of both reddish flesh and mechanical parts. The torso and the head were a mix of organic and machine.

"What in the hay…" stated the voice of the Commander.

"That's a… disturbing sight." Commented the lab's mare's voice.

"Long Shot, get out of there!" ordered the Commander. The stag immediately jumped away, dodging the blasts that the creature shot at him with its weapon, pulverizing the tree that the soldier had been using as cover.

The creature emitted a squirting sound through its metallic mouth, spitting a few drops of yellowish goo on the ground, before aiming again. Long Shot rolled behind a stump of wood, which was almost reduced to ash by the blasts of the creature.

"We are coming." Stated calmly Hiding Eye, before aiming and shooting again. With a scream, the second little alien fell on the ground.

"Nice shot." Murmured Winter Lily, before opening fire as well, trying to hit the floating one. The creature hovered in the air, avoiding the bullets, but at least its attention was dragged away from the stag.

Zealot turned away from the ufo and opened fire as well. The swarm of bullets hit the creature, but didn't kill it. The alien gurgled, as a splurt of yellowish blood rained on the ground, but it continued to float.

The soldiers were all aiming at it, and only Hiding Eye noted the movements inside the ufo.

"Watch out!" she screamed, as another couple of floater aliens darted out, emitting their screams. One of them darted throught the air, while the other one opened fire, hitting Zealot's cover.

"That was unexpected." Grunted the Commander's voice. "Long Shot, return under cover! Hiding Eye and Winter Lily, shoot down those things! Zealot, move away from there." he ordered. The soldiers immediately followed his orders, but even if Long Shot and Zealot successfully moved back into cover, the two females weren't able to shot down any of the aliens, both of them missing their targets. It didn't help that the aliens were wobbling in the air.

"Weapon dry! Damn it!" grunted Hiding Eye, starting to reload her rifle. One of the aliens snarled, before opening fire. It totaly missed the buffalo, but instead, it its her cover, reducing it to ashes. The buffalo ran immediately behind another tree, while briefly hearing the Commander complaining about the weapons' quality.

"Zealot, let's take them down." Grunted the stag, preparing his weapon. "Ready?"

"Ready."

One of the floater aliens turned towards the deer's hiding spot. It opened fire, hitting his cover, destroying the wooden stump protecting him. the other two floaters turned towards the now exposed soldier.

"Well, shi-"

The four blasts hit the deer, hitting his head and chest, one of them ripping one of his legs off, sending it flying through the air. The deer fell to the ground motionless, a puddle of blood growing under his body, the yellow shades shattering on the ground.

Zealot's eyes widened, as he got out of cover and opened fire: his swarm of bullets hit the already wounded alien, which fell finally to the ground, gurgling, as its jets exploded. From the woods, two swarms of bullets hit one of the last two aliens, which fell to the ground as well, screaming.

"There is no beat, commander…" commented a voice in their earpieces.

"I understand…" muttered the Commander's voice. "Get that last bastard." He ordered, his voice dripping venom. Zealot moved his rifle, and opened fire, hitting the creature directly in its little head, and it exploded in a shower of yellowish garbage.

"Nicely done… there are no more x-rays out of the ufo. Check the wreckage for anything of use." Commented the cold voice of the Commander. The zebra nodded, turning towards the mare and the buffalo emerging from the trees.

"Winter, you come in with me. Hiding, you see if there is something outside, ok?" he asked, trying not to look at the motionless body of the stag resting a few meters away. The mare nodded, and followed the zebra trought the light door of the ufo, shaking her head slightly.

The interior of the ufo was like something that they had ever seen. The black walls were filled with blue LEDs and luminescent tubes, lighting up the area faintly. The walls giving in to a side room had crumbled, and the two soldiers were able to see what was probably some sort of energy tube, even if it had exploded, probably due to the missiles.

"That's something worth examining." Sounded again the lab's mare's voice. "I recommend retrieving all the ufo's remains, for further analysis. This may actually be a goldmine of information."

"For now, let's just check the area." Muttered the Comamnder's voice.

"Well, for now there isn't anything out of the ordinary." Muttered the zebra, before eyeing a group of consoles. "But maybe you might be interested in that alien stuff." He added, trotting towards it. "I think this is the cockpit."

"Well then you might-"

"Uh, there is a strange crystal here." Added the zebra, noticing a bright orange conical crystal floating over the ground, right behind the console. "Let's see what this thing is…"

As soon as the zebra took another step towards the crystal, it started to shimmer and float higher, as a silvery-bluish material started to grow around it, forming into a humanoid, muscular body that had an elongated head and a weapon in one hand.

"Zealot, get out of there!" shouted the Commander. The zebra turned and started to run outside of the room.

"Winter, stay out and take cover!" he shouted, a few blasts of energy hitting the wall behind him. He rolled behind the half-crumbled wall, and took out his weapon. The mare did as well, and they nodded to each other, preparing to dash in, search out where the creature was hidden, and slay it, and…

The creature wasn't hiding at all. It dashed out of the door, turned towards the stunned zebra, and opened fire. He was only a few inches away. Quite hard to miss.

Zealot's head was blasted off by the greenish energy beam of the alien's weapon, staining the ufo's wall with blood and brain. The lifeless body slid down, falling to the ground with a light thump. The alien turned and aimed its weapon at the mare, who was looking at it with terrified eyes, shaking.

"Hiding Eye!" was the scream from the Commander, as the alien prepared to shoot. And like magic, a series of bullets were shot from right outside the ufo, hitting the silver creature in the face. It emitted an echoing screech, simply vanishing in the air after a second, leaving only a cracked crystal on the ground. The mare sat on the ground, starting to hyperventilate, while the buffalo ran inside the ufo, a worried expression on her face.

"Why didn't the x-ray register that presence?!" screamed the Commander, slamming his earpiece on the ground and glaring daggers at the purple mare in the lab coat.

"That… thing… was a being of pure energy, the x-ray wasn't able to…"

"Fuck." Growled the Commander, rubbing his eyes. Those were two more casualties. And also, two new alien species. He sighed, and grabbed back up his earpiece. "Leaf?"

"Yes Commander?"

"Contact the princess. We may need some replacements."


	8. Comfort Zone

"Our Carapace Armor was designed to offer substantially better protection against the alien plasma weaponry through the use of their alloys. Tests indicate a substantial survivability increase relative to conventional body armor." Explained Rarity, gesturing at the reinforced, silvery body suit laying on the table, while Twilight nodded proudly.

The Commander examined a leg of the suit, looking at the silver plating, slightly impressed.

"So you used the alien materials to build a more resistant armor, huh?" he asked, returning his gaze to Rarity. "A wonderful work Rarity. Thank you." He said softly, before turning towards Twilight. "And you did well helping her make this thing possible. I want a new armor for every soldier."

"Yes sir! But… what about the money?" asked Rarity, raising an eyebrow. "I thought your funds were almost worn out." she noted. The happy expression on the Commander's face fade out, remembering how the X-PON's funding was almost used up, after he ordered the creation of an energy source to sustain the work of a new satellite uplink and the comfort area in the living quarters.

"Twilight… from the last mission, at the crash site… there were some things that were no use for research?" he asked, turning to the purple unicorn, who nodded.

"A couple of computers were completely destroyed and a power source of the was blasted open. Impossible to find out anything from them." She explained, waving a hoof. "Why?"

"Because I think I can sell them to the other governments. They will gladly pay for something alien-related. After all, they feel a little threatened by X-PON, since our organization is far more advanced than any of their armies…"

"But we have a common enemy!" noted Twilight, raising an eyebrow. "We have better things to do than try to plot against each other right now."

"Maybe. But that doesn't change the fact that we can try to sell our junk at the gray market." Shrugged the Commander.

"Gray market?"

"Black market sounds too bad." Grunted the Commander. "Gray market is still shady sounding, but not too bad. Rarity, good work, I'm expecting more of these armors as soon as possible."

"Yes Commander!" she exclaimed, saluting. "I'll do my best."

"Very Well. Twilight, now that we have a better protection for our soliders, try to find a way to build some deadlier weapons."

"Yes Commander. Our research into alien weapon fragments led to the idea of portable laser weapony, after all. Our early prototypes have been encouraging, but we continue to struggle with issues related to heat dispersion…" she muttered to herself, before nodding at the Commander. "We may need a little bit of time, but we'll surely be able to do something."

-oOo-

"Well… nice to see you are still in one piece." Grinned Violet Storm, watching as Solid Steel stepped through the medical bay's door, followed by Candlebright, who was limping slightly. Behind the pegasus, Winter Lily and Hiding Eye were both smiling, happy to be part of the welcome-back-on-your-hooves commitee.

"They know what they are doing in there. They also fixed the nose that was broken under your order." snickered the bulky stallion, smirking, before waving a hoof at Hiding Eye and Winter Lily, who saluted him, and then he moved towards Candlebright and greeted her as well.

"You made me worried." Murmured Violet Eye, glaring at the stallion. "What I was going to do, if you too went and died, like all the others?" she asked, glaring at him. The stallion smirked, before rubbing a hoof on the mare's head.

"Aww, little Violet was worried for good ol' me? You are spoiling me." He commented, grinning.

"Don't be an idiot. I'm trying to be serious-" started the mare, but was cut off by the rib-crushing hug the stallion gave her.

"I'm in one piece. I'm going to be more careful from now on. Happy?" commented the stallion, his smile still in place. The other mares and the buffalo grinned at the scene, as Violet Storm tried to free herself.

"He was shot to save me." Noted Candlebright, taking a step towards the two other ponies. "It was my fault that he got shot."

"Come on now! You are all alive, just be happy about that." commented Winter Lily, a shadow passing quickly over her face, remembering the last mission. "Unlike someone else."

"Ah yeah… Zealot and Long Shot, I heard…" grunted the massive stallion, frowning. "That was unfortunate."

"Sure it was. Now stop being all depressed, and let's find something to do!" exclaimed Hiding Eye, who somehow had managed to stay silent for more than two minutes.

"I was actually thinking about going to my room, and…"

"You were right, you were! Now you are not! Let's go!" commanded the buffalo, before starting to hop down the corridor. Winter Lily let out a snicker, before starting to follow the buffalo, with Candlebright following her, a confused expression on her muzzle.

"She's still this hyperactive, heh?" asked the stallion, with little smile as he started to move towards the civilian quarters, followed by Violet Storm. "So… how is it going?"

"Nothing special, really." Grunted the mare, shrugging. "I was occupied training with Brute, you know? He's a really nice guy."

"That damned guy! He owes me a rematch." Chuckled the stallion.

"He's probably in the comfort area right now. We are not far from there, if you want, we can go to see if we can find him."

"Comfort area?" asked the stallion, raising an eyebrow. "That's new."

"Yup. After the last mission, the Commander started to worry about the mental states of the employees and the soldiers. He ended up building some sort of underground garden… yup, something like that. To relax during calm periods. Since of course no one can leave the facility in case of any emergency, we are just going to have a little patch of heaven right here." she explained, stopping in front of a metallic door. "Right behind this door."

"Woah. That's kinda cool."

"You bet." Smiled the mare, opening the metallic door, showing another short corridor that gave to another door. She walked down it, gesturing to the stallion to follow her, and finally opened the last door.

Solid Steel had to cover his eyes at the sudden strong, natural light, while his nose picked up the smell of grass and dirt. He walked forward, passing the doorframe, and looked around in amazement: he was outside.

The room was immense. Solid Steel wasn't actually able to see the other side. It had a large dome-shaped ceiling, made out of some sort of screen projecting the image of a clear sky, while in the exact center of the dome, a "sun" was shining, spreading its warm glow everywhere. The floor was made out of dirt, where real grass was dancing to a weak breeze that blew thanks to a few hidden fans. A little forest grew throughout the middle of the room, with other trees standing here and there. Everything was set up to give the impression of a summer afternoon in the country.

"Are those real birds?" asked the stallion, pointing to a couple of robins flying above them, heading towards one of the trees. The mare nodded, closing the iron door and starting to walk through the grass.

"Yup: except for the sky, everything is real." She explained, passing by a pegasus without a wing who was laying on the ground, staring with a little smile at the "sky". "This is currently the largest room in the base. It's even bigger than the hangar. You see the sun?" she asked, pointing at the golden globe at the top of the sky. "That's not fake either."

"Now you are just playing with me." Grunted the stallion, trying to look directly at the shining orb, trying to find around its frame any track of cables or supports.

"I'm serious! A zebra told me that the Commander asked Celestia herself give him a miniscule fraction of the sun. For comparison, something like a drop from the ocean, to help you understand why we are not a mass of scorched meat."

"That's just impossible." Grunted the stallion, still searching for anything around the little sun. The mare shrugged, continuing to walk.

"Don't know if it's true. But I know that it gives the same sensation of the real sun." She said, before taking a deep breath. "Everyone was happy about this room. I don't know anyone that doesn't pass a few hours here from time-to-time."

"Well, then we shall search for Brute. That damn buffalo…" smirked the stallion, before trotting behind the mare, giving quick glances to the group of creatures laying, running, or generally having a good time. He saw a couple of earth ponies and a unicorn walking by, casually discussing trivial things, while under a tree, a couple of deer sat, just enjoying the shade. He had the impression of seeing a zebra running behind a doe, but he wasn't sure.

"Like nothing happened."

"Like nothing happened." Agreed the mare, looking around. "Hum… usually Brute goes deep in the woods. He likes the calm near the center." She explained, walking between the initial trees, followed by the bulky stallion, who had a harder crawling between the undergrowth.

They came across a deer that was happily singing with a group of birds, a llama and a unicorn occupied in a spitting competition, and…

"Major?" asked the mare hesitantly, moving away a bush, entering inside one of the numerous clearings of the little woods, to reveal Leaf and Masud, who were both laying on the ground in front of a little pond. They were both without suit, laying on the grassy floor and both looking at the two ponies emerging from the woods.

Nothing too strange in this, other than the fact that the zebra was laying between the stag's forelegs, and the deer was also nibbling one of the zebra's ears.

"Oh, hello there. Glad to see you are back on your hooves, Solid Steel." Stated Masud, smiling, while the deer just moved slightly a hoof, waving at the two ponies.

"I… uh… thank you sir." answered the stallion, overcoming his initial surprise. "I see that this room is really popular."

"The Commander surprised us with this. I assume he took seriously the mental health of everyone." Agreed the zebra, still held by the deer. "And that's good. Being stuck underground constantly working is extremely stressful. Not even speaking about the soldiers, that have to risk their lives everytime and-" started to explain Masud, before being cut off by the deer kissing his cheek.

"Awww, you are adorable!" squealed Violet Storm, raising her hooves to her mouth, before shutting up, remembering who she was looking at. "With all respect, sir."

"Of course…" grumbled the zebra, trying to free himself from the teasing deer. "That's quite similar to what the yellow pegasus of the infirmary said when we kissed in front of her."

"Please, don't tell the Commander." immediately added the deer, looking a little frightened. "He's uh... old-school, so to speak." He stated, his usually cheerful face frowning a little.

"You got it, sir. We are going to leave you two alone, but… did you see Brute by any chance?"

"Last time I saw him, was in the gym." Mumbled the zebra, as the stag started to nibble his ear again.

"Well, figures…"

-oOo-

The buffalo in question was indeed in the gym, keeping his calm eyes focused on the deer and the earth pony raising bars fitted with weights, puffing and panting.

Since both Silent Rhapsody and Oak had to carry around heavy guns, as well as a rocket launcher loaded with a rocket, they had been ordered by the officer training them to buff up their muscles. Hopefuly it would help avoid them dropping the weapon in the middle of the battle.

"Brute, do you want to not stare at us for so long?" the deer asked between pants, still raising his curl bar. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Actually, no." Answered calmly the buffalo. "I'm just waiting in case Solid Steel comes here, looking for me. We have unfinished brawling buisness to do."

"He's getting out today, huh?" grunted Silent, dropping his weights on the ground and loosening his shoulders. "It might not be a wise idea to fight each other when he just got out."

"Said the pony that started the training as soon as he got out of hospital." Grinned Oak, dropping his weights as well and looking at the other two. "But anyway, I'm not eager to wait here to see you two destroy the gym. I'm out of here. There is a lovely dove working in the laboratory that just loves my shorn antlers." He said, smirking, before walking out of the room, happily thinking about his prospects.

"Lucky for him, I guess." Snorted the earth pony, moving to another machine and starting to set the weight. "Seems he's quite unaffected by the death of his friend."

"Deers tend to be quite realistic and practical. More interested in the living than the dead." Explained the buffalo peacefully. "Zealot and I had numerous conversations on those differences between races. And on the fact that actually, this whole war helped our different races to interact and learn more about each other."

"I'm sure he agrees with you, wherever he is." the stallion grunted sarcastically, rhythmically moving the machine, his muscles stinging in pain.

The buffalo sighed, and rolled his eyes. Ponies were such cynical guys…

-oOo-

"We are all impressed with your efforts, Commander. We hope that these successes mark only the beginning of a long series." Said Celestia, gazing straight at the Commander from a giant screen, looking stright at him. "We have already sent you new recruits, they'll arrive in one day."

"Thank you princess." was the emotionless answer of the Commander.

"Also, we have a special mission for X-Pon." Continued the alicorn, raising an eyebrow. "It's something… peculiar, but we need your total attention to this case."

"I'm listening, ma'am."


	9. Operation: Rising Dragon

"We received a broadcast from behind the border of the griffins' nation." stated Celestia. "It wasn't a casual communication. It was addressed to me and Luna."

"There are some of our soldiers hidden in their country?" asked the Commander, raising an eyebrow. "I wasn't informed of that."

"That's the point." Continued Celestia, waving a hoof to shut up the Commander. "The comunication was sent from a griffin."

"I thought you initially said that the griffins denied any possible chance of alliance with us." Noted the Commander, even more confused.

"Evidently, not all of them think that way. The transmission we received was rather short, but the griffin caught our attention, leading us to decide to contact you. Apparently, she allegedly has in her possession a piece of "unique" technology. We need you to investigate; if the contact's device is genuine, as we suspect it is, it'll be of high value. Stay sharp, as the aliens may make an effort to recover it, since she already told us she was running from them."

"I see…" murmured the Commander, raising an eyebrow. "I'll prepare a squad asap, then. If the aliens are on this griffin's tail, there is no reason to waste our time."

-oOo-

"Here you are, you damned buffalo." Boasted Solid Steel, grinning as he trotted into the hangar, heading towards the immense vehicle used to transport the operative squads on site. Brute was waiting near its tail, the large, silvery reinforced armor giving his body even more mass, while at the buffalo's side hung his rifle. "I was looking for you everywhere. We have unfinished business."

"I'm afraid we'll have to wait." Said apologetically the buffalo, noting the shotgun dangling from the stallion's armor. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at it.

"Heh, the Commander said that I'm a hothead that loves to face the enemy at close range. So he promoted me to assault soldier right before the medics dismissed me, and ordered me to be given shoty as soon I was called for a mission. Turned out it was right today, too." Snickered the stallion, stroking his weapon. "They also gave me this armor. Man, this is heavy."

"It's called carapace armor." Snorted Oak, emerging from behind the vehicle and walking towards the other two soldiers, a rocket launcher tightly attached to his back, while a light machine gun was attached to his side. Probably because if left dangling, it could have hurt the stag's legs. "It's supposed to be heavier, since it has to protect us more."

"Heavier is not more defensive. If that was the case, Brute would be bullet-proof." Commented Solid Steel.

"Silly, he's resistant" exclaimed Hiding Eye, popping out from behind Brute, a long and slim rifle attached to her armor. "Not bulletproof, though. He's not a spirit, duh." She noted, before looking around. "Is it just the four of us?" she asked to no one in particular.

The white pegasus that the soldier had identified as their pilot flapped his wings, flying towards them and shaking his head, adjusting his headphones.

"Negative soldier. Major Masud escorting another solider here as well." He commented, shooting a quick glance at the hangar doors. "You'll better be ready, though, we are going to take off as soon as they arrive here."

"Another soldier? Isn't the vehicle too small to be able to bring more than four soldiers?" asked Oak, raising an eyebrow and shuffling a little, the rocket launcher shifting with him. The pegasus shrugged.

"Apparently the lab chick did something, upgraded the engine with the alien garbage picked up during your last mission with the crashed ufo ... powered it up, so we could reduce the space occupied by the engine. Gives us more space without sacrificing speed."

"Good. Another rifle is always welcomed." Noted Brute, moving his eyes around. "Hopefully, we aren't going to lose anyone."

"You four, on the vehicle, now!" barked Masud, emerging from the hangar door, accompanied by another zebra, who was enclosed in a carapace armor and had a rifle dangling at his side. "You are off in a minute. Revenant, go on." Masud ordered, pushing the zebra forward: : he nodded, and ran into the vehicle, joining the other four soldiers sitting in the reinforced and padded seats.

"Hello there!" chirped Hiding Eye, waving a hoof. "I'm Hiding Eye. Who are you?" she asked, smiling brightly. The zebra raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the buffalo's attitude.

"I'm Solid Steel, and these other two are Brute and Oak." Introduced the earth pony, smirking at the zebra. "Nice to see someone else join us on this little trip." He commented, as the vehicle started to tremble, and the engine emitted a loud roar.

"I'm Revenant…" mumbled the zebra, gripping his rifle. "I was transferred into the headquarters today. I wasn't expecting to be sent on a mission, though."

"Awww… don't worry rookie, you are going to be fine." Cooed Hiding Eye. "You'll see. Solid Steel here got shot trying to help another rookie."

"I'll gladly avoid repeating the experience." Grunted the stallion, rolling his eyes.

"If the chitchat is over, I'd like to start the briefing." Crackled Rainbow's voice from the soldiers' earphones. "You are headed towards the griffins' territory."

"I thought we were forbidden to go there?" asked Oak, raising an eyebrow. "Weren't we supposed to let them be?"

"Yes. But apparently a griffin contacted the council, and caught our interest. She seems to have some interesting technology for us. You are just going to check if it's true, and if it is, give her some assistance getting to the base."

"That's not a little too vague?" asked Oak, while looking at the other soldiers. "It might just be a griffin that wants to escape his land."

"The effort to directly contact the council was too much to make us think that it's just a refugee. In any case, that's what the council decided, so don't complain." Grunted Rainbow Dash's voice, before being cut off by the Commander's.

"Now, two things: since we cannot enter griffin territory in theory, you'll parachute down near the place where our contact said we'd find her, and then escort her to the rendezvous point out of the city if her 'technology' is really worth it. You'll find the parachutes under your seats."

"Sweet!" chirped happily Hiding Eye, immediately taking out hers.

"Second thing: due to the griffins' lockdown, we don't have any satellite cover over the territory, so, apart from the cameras mounted in your armors, we won't be able to have a clear view of your surroudings, and furthermore we probably won't be able to contact you. The pilot will give you the indications to reach the graveyard, and Brute will lead you. Clear?"

"Yes sir!" was the choral response. Back in the control room, the Commander smirked.

"Very well then. You'll be over the city in ten minutes. Drop together, and head towards the cemetery, and meet this contact. If her story is likely, escort her out of town, where the vehicle will land. The worst that can happen is just a diplomatic incident. And honestly, that's not a big concern."

"Just hope this isn't going to be just a waste of time."

-oOo-

"What do we do with the parachutes?" whispered Solid Steel, watching as the rest of the them dropped down from the shack that they had landed on.

"Leave them, and start moving." Ordered Brute, before looking around them: they were in the garden of a two floor building with a cyan roof. Probably just a house.

"Pilot, we need your indications to reach the graveyard." He whispered, gesturing to the others to follow him. Extremely gracefully, he jumped over the low fence surrounding the yard of the house, landing on the clean and clear road, which was slightly lit up by a series of lamps.

"The graveyard is at two streets of distance from your position." Whispered the pilot's voice at their ears. "I'm currently landed at the rendezvous point, directly outside of the city. Hoping not to be spotted, or it'll be quite awkward."

"I'd say…" muttered Oak, jumping to the street and looking around. "But apparently the streets are deserted."

"Not a motive to keeps our guard down." muttered Brute. " Revenant, stay near me and Oak. Solid, stay a little ahead of us, while Hiding Eye take an eye behind us." He muttered, stroking his rifle and glaring around. The other soldiers silently nodded and started to move.

Sure enough, the street was deserted and silent. In all likelihood, there was a curfew that the civilians were obligated to respect. It was like that in Equestria, anyway. The soldiers walked slowly, ready to pull their triggers in case of danger, and also ready to hide in case any griffin troops turned the corner.

But that wasn't the case. They arrived at the tall walls of the graveyard that was surrounded by buildings without problems. The walls were compact and high, only interrupted by a black gate, closed by a chain that Solid Steel broke with a well assessed hit of his hoof.

"I'm not going to pay for the damage." He added, before slowly opening the gate and crawling inside, where on a couple of green hills were resting numerous black tombstones, as well as a couple of little temple-like buildings placed on the top of the hills.

"This is strange. Having a graveyard in the middle of the city. Usually doesn't it stay on the edge?" asked Oak, taking a step on the cobbled path inside the cemetery, looking around carefully, waiting for an ambush.

"Griffins prefear to have their dead near them." Simply stated Brute, following the stag.

"It's unsettling." Was Oak's grumpy answer, while following closely Solid Steel, who had started to walk towards one of the two buildings held his shotgun ready. "Let's check if the contact is here or if it's just a trap and then get out of here…"

"If it's a trap, we should be ready then…" murmured Revenant, holding his rifle. Brute glanced at him, before moving his eyes to Hiding Eye, who nodded and raised her sniper rifle slightly.

"Very well, then…"

"Boys, you are noisy. Aren't you supposed to be like, the elite of the world or something?"

The stallion swiftly raised his shotgun, while Oak grasped his weapon, as a trapdoor opened under the wooden colonnade of the building, revealing a female griffin with a gun held in one of her claws, pointing it at the group, her golden eyes giving a skeptical look at them.

Revenant raised his rifle as well, while the pair of buffalo didn't react. Brute slowly blinked, before taking a step and lowering Solid Steel's shotgun with a hoof.

"We are."

"Well, was about freaking time." Snorted the griffin, without lowering her weapon. Her lion part was of a light brown color, while her feathers were pure white, with the exception of a couple of them that had a light shade of purple on the edge, right above her eyes. Her wings, closed on her back, were brown too. One of them was tightly bandaged, stained with red.

"I suppose you are the one that contacted our Princess." Continued Brute calmly, but still keeping an eye on the gunbarrel. "So, where is this technology you claim to have?"

"Right in my backpack." Snorted the griffin. "But first, I have to be sure you are not going to betray me and abandon me here as soon as you see it might be useful."

"What kind of ponies did you meet?" asked Solid Steel, sincerely offended. "That would be extremely horrible on our part."

"I got betrayed by a pony, once." Snorted the griffin. "I'm not going to make the same mistake again."

"Well, luckily for you than, only Solid Steel here is a pony." Chirped Hiding Eye, smiling. "You can trust everyone else, right?"

"Don't try to be smart, buffalo."

"It's Hiding Eye, not buffalo." Said the buffalo in question, smiling brightly. Brute sighed, while Revenant looked in disbelief at the scene and one of Oak's eyes was twitching slightly.

"Well fine, I'm Gilda. But that doesn't change my decision. You can't see this thing. It's just for your superiors' eyes."

"Well, then what will prove us that you aren't just bluffing, hoping to get an easy passage to safety, out of your land?" snorted Solid Steel. The griffin glared at him, before suddenly raising her gun and shooting.

The two buffalo immediately aimed at her, as well as the zebra. Solid Steel blinked. And Oak turned to see where the griffin was aiming.

With a light thump, a little gray man stumbled out from behind a gravestone, an egg sized hole in his head. It emitted a little hiccup, before falling motionless to the ground.

The griffin smirked, before pulling the trigger again. The gun emitted a clicking sound. She tossed it on the ground and shrugged.

"Those freaks want me and the technology. I'm in your hooves now." She stated. "I assume this is enough for you, as proof."

"It's enough indeed." Grunted Brute, turning towards the rest of the graveyard. "Hiding Eye, get on top of this building, keep your eyes on the surrounding. Revenant, you and me stay with the vip. Solid, Oak, find a cover and-"

"We know!" barked the stallion, running behind a thick tombstone, while from the shadows a few blasts of green plasma were shot in their direction, hitting the edge of the building's roof, sending a gust of wooden splinters over the soldiers. Oak took cover behind a stone bench, before taking a step out of cover and opening fire with his light machine gun, eradicating the top half of the tombstone, as well as the top half of the alien hiding behind it.

"I have a medikit here with me, but I'd prefear not to use it. So everyone, stay under cover." Ordered Brute, while from their side other green shots hit the edge of the building. Revenant turned and answered fire, and was greeted by the sound of gurgling and screeching.

"Nice shot there, rookie." Commented Solid Steel, while running to another tombstone, his weapon ready. "By the way, we have to get out of here, before the griffin forces arrive. If they get Gilda's backpack, we have just lost our time."

"That's true. We should move." Commented Brute, turning towards Gilda, who nodded and turned, grasping a saddlebag and placing it over her back. From above the building came the sound of Hiding Eye's sniper rifle, accompanied by her cheering. "But it seems the way is clear. Let's move." Ordered the buffalo, starting to run down the hill, using his mass to cover the griffin while Oak and Revenant followed from the sides, ready to fire on anything that might be trying to creep up on them.

They arrived at the gate without incident, just in time to see Solid Steel run up towards a little gray alien and blast its face off with the shotgun.

"Heck yeah! This weapon suits me rather fine, I give it that!" he bellowed, reloading it with a light click.

"Nice to know. This one runs through ammo a little too fast." Grunted Oak, glaring at his weapon. "Oh well, I guess it can't be helped." He added, while Hiding Eye joined them, her rifle still in her grasp.

"I say we just make a run towards the rendezvous point." She panted. "We can't possibly escort her through half of the city! We are going to run out of ammo!"

"Rushing might be even worse." Retorted Brute. "We just stay under cover, and then…"

"Hey, you brought other ponies with you?" asked Gilda, looking down the street: indeed, four slender ponies were running towards them, apparently in a hurry. Their fur was slightly green, and were all wearing black suits, with the addition of a red tie. Their manes were all groomed perfectly, and all of them were wearing black glasses.

"Woah there, are those the P.I.B? They work for the x-pon?" asked Solid Steel in amazement, looking at the group of ponies.

"P.I.B.?"

"Ponies in black."

"I don't know. But a little reinforcement here is not a bad thing. If we have to pass through half of the city…" muttered Oak. That was just a moment before one of the ponies rose on his hindlegs and rised a foreleg, where was attached a lucid black and white gun-shaped thing.

"Take cover!"

The pony hissed, as a series of greenish projectiles of plasma were shot against the group of soldiers. Brute pushed the griffin behind him, while the others dived away. Two hits hit directly the bulky buffalo, who let out a grunt of pain, but didn't move away, still protecting Gilda with his body. The armor was a little scorched, but had stopped the plasma.

Another two ponies hissed and raised on their hindlegs. One of them joined the first one and opened fire against the buffalo out of cover, hitting his shoulder, this time causing Brute to let out a little scream, as a few drops of blood spurted out. The second one jumped out of the street, actually reaching the roof of one of the nearby buildings. Then took aim.

And being hit straight in the head by a shot from Hiding Eye's sniper rifle.

"That was easy." She noted, as the pony fell back to the street like a rag doll, as a cloud of dirty green and gray fumes started to pour out its dead body. The last pony hissed, before opening his mouth like a snake, dislodging his jaw and spitting a ball of… something, towards the soldier.

As soon as the slimy thing hit the ground near Brute, another cloud of fumes exploded in the air. The buffalo started coughing and wheezing, stepping back, covering his nose.

"Ach… I think I'm going to be sick…" he muttered, coughing again. "That bastard spat a ball of poison."

"Use the damned medikit! There should be also an antidote spell compressed in there!" shouted Solid Steel, shooting from behind a bench, missing the target and making one of the lanterns at the side of the street explode in a shower of broken glass and contorted metal.

The buffalo grunted, before retreating inside the cemetery, behind the wall, sided by the griffin. With another cough, he took out the little red and sprayed himself with the healing composition, immediately feeling better as the wound on his shoulder was healed, and the poison was cured. He almost missed the sight of Oak taking off the rocket launcher from his back, loading it, and then pointing it in the middle of the street, where two of the thin ponies were standing.

"This is going to be fun." He chucled, before shooting.

The echo of the explosion boomed through the night, as a bunch of debris flew all around hitting the buildings on the street and sending the two creatures in the air, accompanied by a short and high pitched hiss, before smashing back on the ground, lifeless.

"I want one of those." Was the only thing Solid Steel was able to say.

The last pony hissed, before raising on his hindlegs and run towards the graveyard. Immediately Solid tried to take him down, but the creature dodged the shot. It jumped over the stallion, landing on the wall of the cemetery, and immediately jumped off when Hiding Eye shot at him.

He landed right in front of Brute and Gilda. It aimed its weapon, as Brute tried to raise his rifle.

And Gilda raised on her hindlegs as well and punched the creature right in the jaw.

Now, a pony, or even a buffalo's punch might be stronger than a griffin's, but due to the structure of the hoof, the power was dispersed over a larger surface. It can still break a bone, but it has some limits. Since griffin have knuckles in their claws, they concentrate the power of the blow there.

Now, good ol' Gilda was strong as a pony. And had knuckles.

The pony's head snapped back due to the power of the hit, as its jaw dislodged with a little crack. The pony stumbled back, dazed and confused, giving time to Brute to open fire. Five bullets pierced through its chest, and another three, shot by Revenant, passed through its head.

It fell to the ground with a little hiss, puffing out its last cloud of poison.

"If you think I'm going to stay down and quiet like a little pup getting babysat, you have miscalculated, looser." Snorted the griffin, massaging her claw.

"What are these things? More aliens?" asked Hiding Eye, looking at the lifeless bodies. "Shit, we got tricked like idiots."

"I suppose that's their function. Infiltrators." Snorted Revenant. "We should warn the council."

"I'm sure that the Commander is already on that." huffed Brute, breathing heavily. "Now, let's move towards the rendezvous point…"

"Negative." crackled the pilot's voice in their ears. "I'm coming to get you."

"Why? We can handle this." grunted Oak, reloading his weapon.

"That's not that the matter. The whole point of me being out here is not getting caught by the griffins' force. But since you most likely had awoke half of the city with your gunfire, it's just pointless staying out here, waiting for you, and maybe putting you in even more danger. There is no arguing, I'm already in the air."

True to his word, after not even twenty seconds, the massive transport vehicle of the x-pon was floating above the street, the propeller mounted in the wings moving away the debris caused by the rocket's explosion. The tailgate opened as it landed with a light thump, the propellers still in action.

"Come on, come on! We are going to get slower anyway, since we have another passenger, just move!" barked again the pilot, as Brute and Hiding Eye immediately jumped on, followed by the griffin and Oak, while Revenant and Solid Steel entered last, both of them dragging one of the motionless bodies of the thin ponies.

"Well… I assume we made it." Commented the stag, relaxing in his seat, as the vehicle hovered into the air again and dashed off. "Not a single casuality, the vip is safe, and only Brute got shot. That's a winning mission in my book."

"That's was jsut luck." Grunted Gilda, before relaxing as well. "But we are finally out of there. I'm finally out of there."

"Out of curiosity, why are you doing this?" asked Revenant, looking at the griffin. "Betraying your nation, giving out secret technology?"

"I'm not blind." She hissed, glaring at the zebra. "And I know that the griffins aren't able to use this thing , not even for their own welfare. At least, our leaders. If there is something that I know about lame ponies , is that they always try to help everyone. So, since your organization-thing is founded by the two princess ponies, I figured it was better if they got this technology."

"Jeez, thanks." Muttered Solid Steel, while Hiding Eye let out a chuckle. Brute shook his head, sighing again, while in his earpiece a series of crackles and distorted sounds warned him that they where again in range of HQ.

"Mission completed, Commander." He immediately stated, pressing his earpiece. From the other line came a strange silence, before the Commander answered.

"Yes, we have seen it. Well done. Please Brute, Dash asked for a favour. Can you please give your earphone to the griffin?" he asked, sternly. The buffalo blinked, unsure, before taking it out of his ear and handing it to the female griffin.

"Here. Apparently they want to speak with you." Said the buffalo. Gilda raised an eyebrow, before taking the little object with her claws and placing it carefully in her ear.

"Yes? Hello there, any lame pony, zebra, buffalo or deer that wants to speak to the griffin that saved the day?" she asked then, with a little smirk.

"Hi Gil…"

Oo-oO

New part early? New part early.

Thin Ponies, the only "ponyfication" of the aliens' forces. Since they have to be the infiltrators, they have to be pony-shaped, right?

And here, good ol' Gilda. Because I found her the most fitting to interprete the role of Zhang (of the Slingshot dlc). At this point, I think that if I'm going to use any other character from the show, is just going to be a cameo for a chapter. But if you have any suggestion, let me know, that's something fun to work with.


End file.
